A Stranger to Friends
by Encaitarince
Summary: Harry Potter discovers a way to defeat Voldemort, but in order to do so he must leave his friends behind and embark on a quest that will lead him to a world not his own. Please RR
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **I am not J.K. Rowling and I'm not using her characters and books for profit.

**Rating: **PG-13, for violence, language, and lots of angst

**Genre: **NO SLASH; Adventure/Angst; not a romance fic, though there are hints of Harry/Ginny.

**Summary: **Harry has discovered a way to defeat Voldemort, but to do so he must set out on a journey that will take him far from home and friends and safety, and leave him stranded in a strange yet familiar world. Please read and review. Thanks!

**Author's Note: **This story takes place during Harry's seventh year, thus he is seventeen. Just thought I'd clear that up.

**Prologue:**

"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches..."_

_—Sibyll Trelawney, The Order of the Phoenix_

Harry sat at the small desk in his room, feather quill in one hand and a piece of parchment in the other. He set down the thick yellow paper and stared at it a moment, not knowing how to begin. He had never been good at saying goodbye.

_Dear Ron, _he began, deciding to write to him first. _I'm writing to tell you that I'm going away for a while. I don't know when I'll be back...maybe not for years..._

Harry paused, not quite knowing how to continue. He couldn't tell Ron where he was going, though he wanted to desperately. It was far too important that his whereabouts remained a secret. He wasn't worried about anyone finding him, just what would happen if they found out where he was going to...

_I am going someplace where neither you nor anyone else will be able to follow. I wish I could tell you where, but that might jeopardize things for you and the Order. Let it suffice to say that I've found a way...a way to destroy Voldemort. Don't worry about me, just take care of yourself. I promise I'll come back._

_Your friend,_

_Harry_

Harry copied the letter onto three more pieces of parchment, this time addressed to Hermione, Remus, and Ginny. He folded them up neatly and gave them to Hedwig. "Make sure these get there safely," he whispered, giving her an affectionate pat.

She gave a mournful hoot, her amber eyes wide. She knew what he was planning to do.

"Stay with Ron," Harry said sadly. "He'll take care of you while I'm gone." Then he kissed her downy head and watched as she fluttered out the open window into the warm summer evening.

Harry followed her progress with his eyes, wishing desperately that he didn't have to do the heavy task that was before him. He wished that he could be Ron: free from the burden of being the savior of the Wizarding World. But there was nothing for it. He had to do this...the lives of his friends depended on it.

Picking up his satchel, already loaded with various items of clothing, his Invisibility Cloak, his sneak-o-scope, and other personal belongings, he slung it onto his shoulder. He picked up his Firebolt and headed to the door of his room, looking back at it one last time before exiting into the hallway.

He made his way quietly into the kitchen so as not to wake the Dursleys, and began rummaging through the cabinets and icebox, assembling together some food for the journey that lay ahead. When he had packed it away in his satchel, he got out a piece of normal muggle paper and a normal muggle pen and wrote a curt note to his aunt and uncle. He told them that he was leaving, nothing more, nothing less.

With that taken care off, he put on his trainers and buckled the silver fastenings on his long black cape. As he passed out of the kitchen and into the main hall, he stopped for a moment by his old cupboard under the stairs. He smiled at it, almost fondly, knowing that he was about to leave the muggle world for the very last time. His old life with the Dursleys was ended for good.

He opened the front door silently and slipped outside unnoticed. The moon was full—Remus wouldn't receive his letter 'til morning, Harry thought absently as he made his way down the garden path and onto the sidewalk. By that time, Harry would be gone.

With a quick swish of his cape and a small POP! Harry Potter disapparated from Privet Drive.

So, my little chickadees, how'd you like the first part? Review and tell me what you think. I know it was a little strange, but prologues are supposed to be strange. More to come shortly!

Love,

Enny


	2. The Space Between Worlds

**Disclaimer: **Nope, still not J.K., which means I still have to put up disclaimers...

**Rating: **PG-13, for violence, language, and angst

**Genre: **NO SLASH; Adventure/Action/Angst; not really a romance, though I tend to hint at Ron/Hermione and Harry/Ginny

**Summary: **Harry receives two big shocks and has to decide between what is right and what is easy.

**Author's Note: **Thanks so much to Slayer O and wolfawaken for reviewing. Here's a nice long chappie for you!

**Chapter One:**

**The Space Between Worlds**

"'_I cared about you too much,' said Dumbledore simply. 'I cared more for your happiness than your knowing the truth, more for your peace of mind than my plan, more for your life than the lives that might be lost if the plan failed. In other words, I acted exactly as Voldemort expects we fools who love to act.'"_

—_The Order of the Phoenix_

Two months previous

Harry sat alone in his dormitory, his eyes unfocused and his mind blank. His glasses lay forgotten on his pillow as he sat cross-legged on his four-poster. It was hard to tell just how long he had been in this position, but when he finally was broken from his trance-like state by the sound of someone entering the sixth year boys' dormitory, he was surprised to see that the sky was now completely black outside his window.

Stretching and running a hand over his rather stiff neck, Harry yawned and glanced at the boy who had entered.

"Hey, Neville," Harry said, getting up off his bed and sliding his glasses onto his nose.

"Hello, Harry," Neville replied. "What are you up to?"

"Oh, nothing," Harry said, avoiding answering the altogether innocent question. Harry trusted Neville, of course, but he was under strict orders from Dumbledore not to tell anyone about his Occlumency lessons.

Neville got into his pajamas without another word and climbed behind the hangings on his bed.

Ignoring the prickling of his scar, Harry decided that he wasn't yet tired enough for sleep, and ventured down the stairs into the common room. He spotted Ron and Hermione at once. Both were sitting near the fire, an uncomfortable silence between them, heads bent over their school books. Harry noticed that Ron kept stealing glances at Hermione, and Hermione, seeming to sense his eyes on her, would look up just as Ron would look away.

The tenseness vanished, however, as Harry stepped over to them, and plopped himself down on the rug between their two chairs.

Hermione smiled at him. "An hour and thirty-three minutes, Harry," she said approvingly. "Quite a good practice time, though you have yet to beat last month's two hour session."

"I'd rather not, actually," Harry replied, leaning back on his elbows. "I could hardly move my neck after that one."

"Still, at least you're doing a lot better than last year," Hermione commented, pushing her bushy hair out of her face. "Has Dumbledore said anything to you about how you're coming along?"

"He says I've been making 'great improvements'."

Hermione beamed at him as if he were her son rather than friend. "I'm ever so glad to hear that Harry."

Harry smiled back and then turned to look at Ron, who was scribbling something on his piece of parchment. "Oh bugger," Harry heard him mutter, as he crossed out whatever it was he had just written.

"What's up, mate?" Harry asked, craning his neck to get a good look at what Ron was writing.

"Transfiguration homework," Ron said with a heavy sigh. He sat back against his chair and looked up at the ceiling. "Why do teachers have to give exams during the nice weather?"

Hermione gave Ron a look that didn't need words to convey her annoyance, but Harry stifled a laugh and said: "School's almost out, mate. Soon you'll have all the time in the world to muck around."

"Until it starts up again in September..." Ron said despairingly. "And next year's N.E.W.T. year, too."

"And our last year," Hermione said suddenly. "Can you believe we've only _one year _left?" Hermione was looking directly at Ron as she spoke, as though she were hinting at him for something. "One more year to do the things that we always wanted to do while we've still the chance! These are the best years of our lives! We can't waste a day of it!"

Ron gulped and his ears turned red...and suddenly Harry knew. Hermione was trying to get Ron to ask her out. Harry would have laughed if neither of his friends had looked so desperate and serious.

They were quiet for a moment, the air of discontent and tension hanging once more above their heads. Harry was about to say something, when a pang in his scar made him double over onto the rug. Luckily, the common room was still crowded and noisy enough that this went unnoticed by all save Ron and Hermione.

Harry's eyes watered with the pain in his forehead. He felt all of a sudden quite dizzy and nauseas, and would have liked nothing more than to have passed out so that he could no longer feel it. And to top it all off, he was feeling unusually happy...very happy...

Hermione was at his side in an instant, her hands upon his arms, looking at a loss as to what to do and how to help. Ron stood in front of them, shielding them from the view of several third years who were beginning to take some interest in what was going on by the fire.

Slowly the stinging in his scar began to ebb, though the nausea and dizziness remained. He looked up at Hermione and saw that her brown eyes were wide with alarm and worry.

He staggered weakly to his feet and Ron and Hermione helped him into a chair, standing around him anxiously with nervous faces.

"Harry," Hermione whispered so that he could barely hear her. "What is it? Is it...Voldemort, Harry? Is he...up to something?"

Harry shook his head. "I dunno...but he's happy, real happy. That can only mean bad news for us."

"Any ideas of what it could be?" Ron asked shakily.

"No," Harry mumbled, rubbing his fingers against his temples. "I don't really want to know." He looked up and sighed. "And just when I'd finished practicing for the night."

Hermione paled at this statement. "Oh dear, Harry," she said. "Whatever it is that has happened, it must have been terrible to be able to affect you now. I mean, ever since you've started taking Occlumency more seriously, your scar's only affected you a few times, am I right, and never like this."

"Yeah," Harry muttered, his stomach filling with dread. "The last time it hurt this bad was the night that Sirius..." he trailed off. It still hurt to think about his godfather, let alone talk about him.

Hermione nodded sympathetically, though her eyes still held a sense of urgency. "I hope nothing...er..._terribly bad _has happened."

Harry knew that by "terribly bad" Hermione meant "fatal". He thought about all his friends who were currently out in the world fighting Voldemort, and his stomach gave an unpleasant jolt. He wrapped his arms around his waist, willing his mind not to think about Voldemort's lethal powers, and willing his stomach not to vomit.

"Perhaps you should tell Dumbledore," Ron offered in a rather scared-sounding voice.

Harry nodded, but made no motion to do so. He was afraid if he moved that he would be sick. After several more minutes of sitting there with Ron and Hermione hovering next to him, Harry gripped the arms of the chair and pulled himself into a standing position. He shook his head and looked over at his friends.

"Would you like to come with me?" Harry asked, and he hoped they'd agree to because he wasn't quite sure if he'd make it to the headmaster's office alone.

They both seemed to realize this and the nodded their heads in silent agreement. Then, walking nonchalantly across the common room, the passed unseen through the portrait hole and began the walk to Dumbledore's office.

Harry leaned slightly on Hermione. She was holding his hand tightly in her own, using it as a tool to guide the unsteady Harry down staircases and through corridors. Ron silently walked on Harry's other side, glancing now and then at Harry and Hermione's intertwined fingers, though he made no comment on it.

By the time they reached the stone gargoyles, Harry's vertigo had increased and the strange happiness was still present, forcing him to smile when he didn't want to.

Ron and Hermione looked to Harry to say the password. "Pumpkin pasty," he said in a hoarse voice. The trio entered through the gargoyles and allowed themselves to be carried upwards by the twisting staircase (which did nothing to help Harry's dizziness). When they reached the door that led to the office, they could hear loud voices coming from within. Ron knocked, but the din in the office was so loud that no one seemed to hear.

Ron knocked a bit louder, but still no answer.

"He seems to be having a meeting," Hermione said quietly, as though it were possible that her voice could disturb it.

"We shouldn't bother him then..." Ron said, though he looked disappointed at coming all this way for noting. He turned to Harry. "Maybe we should bring you to the hospital wing instead, mate. You don't look so good..."

Harry shook his head. He had to speak with Dumbledore. He had learned what keeping things like this from the headmaster could do, and he was determined that no one else be hurt or killed because of his "scar omissions". "Try again, Ron."

Ron raised his hand to knock once more, but before his knuckles could connect with the door, a familiar voice from within said: "Potter's here...someone let him in."

Ron stepped back as the light from the now opened door filtered out of the room to meet them. All was suddenly quiet within the office; everyone was staring at the three sixth years.

There were many people assembled there. Most Harry knew, but a few were strange to him. But still the room was quite incomplete: there was no sign of Dumbledore.

Mad-Eye Moody and Professor McGonagall swept forward and ushered the three students into the office, closing the door behind them. Harry looked around at all of the faces. Many Order members were gathered there, as well as aurors, ministry wizards, and even the Minister of Magic himself.

But no Dumbledore.

"Where's Professor D—" Harry began, but was cut off when McGonagall gave a strangled noise beside him.

No one spoke. No one moved. No one even breathed.

Harry began to feel scared, and the more he did so, the more the strange happiness within him grew, until it was becoming almost unbearable. He looked over at McGonagall, and saw that she was doing her very best to fight back tears.

"Harry," said a soft voice breaking through the thick silence.

Turning, Harry saw Remus Lupin looking at him closely, his face paler than usual and his amber eyes full of grief.

"Are you alright, Harry?" He sounded worried.

Harry was about to answer that he was, but Hermione interjected. "No, Remus," she said, her voice unusually high-pitched. "A few minutes ago, Harry's scar hurt him very much. We think something terrible has happened..."

And by the look of it, something terrible _had _happened. But where was Dumbledore?

Remus looked carefully at Harry. Until that moment, Harry hadn't realized just how much he was leaning on Hermione for support. Normally he would have felt embarrassed to be acting to weakly in front of people, but he felt so sick that he could hardly care.

"Where's Dumbledore?" Ron asked loudly, as though he just realized the old man's absence.

No one in the room seemed to want to answer. Finally, Remus sighed and spoke in a gentle, fatherly voice to the three of them.

"He's at St. Mungo's..."

So that was it, Harry thought, feeling sicker than ever. Voldemort had got to Dumbledore. He'd injured him somehow.

"Will he be alright?" gasped Hermione, who was beginning to tremble.

"You don't understand," Remus said in a choked voice. "He's at St. Mungo's mortuary..."

"How are we supposed to fight this war with Dumbledore dead?" lamented Hestia Jones, as the room was immediately thrown into loud discourse again. But Harry heard none of it. There was a loud buzzing in his ears; he could feel the blood draining from his face; he could see the world becoming slowly dimmer.

Without warning, his knees gave way and he passed out upon the polished wood floors.

When Harry awoke, eyes still closed, but mind slowly returning to consciousness, he felt quite comfortable and quite relieved. _It was only a dream, _he told himself happily. _No, it was a nightmare, that's what it was._

Feeling awake enough to open his eyelids, Harry was surprised to see that, instead of the familiar red hangings, he was staring up at a stone ceiling, dappled with the light from the late morning sun that was shining through a large picture window at the back of the long, rectangular room. He was in the hospital wing. His heart sank.

It hadn't been a dream after all.

He turned his head to see Remus sitting in a chair beside the bed, reading the Daily Prophet with a creased brow. As he flipped through the pages, Remus glanced up and saw that Harry was awake. He put down the paper and leaned over to get a good look at him.

"How are you feeling?" Remus asked.

Harry had the grace to suddenly feel tremendously embarrassed for passing out in front of so many people, but he nodded weakly and said: "I'm fine."

Remus stared intently at Harry's face as if making sure he was not being lied to, and, convinced that the boy did indeed feel much better, he settled back into his chair.

Harry reached over for his glasses and put them on. As he did so, he caught sight of the Daily Prophet's front page. It was plastered with memorials for Dumbledore. "He's really gone, then?"

Remus nodded sadly. "I'm afraid so, Harry." He seemed suddenly very old to Harry, his face more lined than usual, his hair almost completely grey. He spoke in a tired voice that told Harry that he wanted more than anything to be able to get away from this war and rest at last.

Harry couldn't bear to look at the sadness and utter sense of hopelessness that were so blatantly mirrored in the werewolf's eyes. Harry knew that his own eyes probably conveyed the same message. Hestia Jones was right. How _were_ they supposed to fight this war with Dumbledore dead?

Not only that, but Harry had felt as though he had lost a member of his family. Dumbledore had always been like an adored and admired grandfather to him. He was someone who had taught him so much, not just about magic, but about life and people and what was good and decent. Once more, this war had killed an irreplaceable person in his life.

"How did it happen?" Harry heard himself ask, as though from far away. He still didn't quite believe it. Not until he had heard all the facts from someone he trusted, someone like Remus, would he begin to accept Dumbledore's death as truth.

"Well," said Remus, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Last night, the Order received a warning about a Death Eater raid on the Ministry. They were after some important documents that we couldn't let them get their hands on. So, Mad-Eye, Tonks, Kingsley, Hestia, and I set out to see what we could do to stop them. Well, there were a bit more of them there than we had expected, including some of the real big fish like Lucius Malfoy, who's escaped from Azkaban (no big surprise there), and—" Remus's voice suddenly became a low hiss—"Bellatrix Lestrange."

A dark shadow passed across Remus's face, and Harry didn't blame him. He, too, hated the woman who had killed Sirius with an undying passion.

"So, what happened?" queried Harry, breaking Remus out of his darkened state.

"We fought," the werewolf said simply, "but we were outnumbered. So, we called for help, and the next thing we knew Dumbledore had come," his eyes narrowed, "and Voldemort...

"We all just stood there like idiots and watched them fight. It was..." he searched around for the right word, "...incredible..."

Harry nodded. He witnessed a Voldemort/Dumbledore fight last year, and was still amazed by the skill and knowledge in which they had faced each other when he thought back to it.

"Anyway," Remus said, and his voice began to waver slightly as he spoke of the next part, his eyes focusing on some unseen image before him. "As they fought, Dumbledore seemed to get the upper hand, though he also seemed determined not to kill him. Funny..." Remus mused, and he was suddenly lost thought for a few moments. "Well," he said bringing himself back to the present, "Voldemort struck back so suddenly and so violently that none of us, not even Dumbledore, saw it coming. The curse struck him before any of us could react..."

Harry felt a very strong surge of anger when he remembered how happy Voldemort had been last night.

"We all thought that we were goners, right then and there," Remus continued. "We thought that Voldemort would kill us. But he didn't. He simply disappeared after that, as did his Death-Eaters. They didn't seem to care a single Knut about whether the rest of us got away or not, just as long as Dumbledore was dead and the documents retrieved. He seemed to think that with Dumbledore gone, we're no big threat to him anyway." Remus sighed heavily. "And he's right."

A silence fell between the two while Harry tried to process everything that Remus had said. Dumbledore gone...it was still such a shock, such a fresh wound in his heart.

After a while, Remus laid a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I have something to give you," he said sadly. He got up and pulled his long, muggle overcoat from off of the chair where it was hanging. He reached into one of the pockets and pulled out a package.

"What is it?" Harry asked, as Remus handed the package to him.

"No idea," Remus said, peering at it just as curiously as Harry was. "It's not from me, it's from Dumbledore."

Harry looked up at him sharply. "What?" he asked utterly nonplussed.

"After Sirius—well, a year ago—Dumbledore gave me this package with the instructions that I shouldn't open it, that it was meant for your eyes only, and that I was to keep it safe until I was to give it to you in the event of Dumbledore's death."

Harry looked at it closely, turning it around in his hands. It looked so very ordinary, so innocent, just a box wrapped up rather messily in plain brown wrapping paper, which meant only one thing where Dumbledore was concerned: it was very special and extremely important.

Harry began to slowly unwrap it, and as he did so, Remus quickly averted his eyes so that he didn't see anything that he shouldn't. Harry was grateful for that.

When he succeeded in pulling off the old, brown paper, and took the lid off of the box, he found not another Philosopher's Stone like he had half expected to find, but instead a two pieces of parchment. One of them seemed to be a very long letter, and so he picked that one up first and read it through. It was from Dumbledore.

_Dear Harry,_

_If you are reading this, then I am gone, and the time has come for you to fulfill that which the Seer foretold. I have taught you well, and you have learned much, but I have one last thing to teach you._

_The way to destroy Voldemort completely is far too complicated for me to explain in a mere letter, but I will do the best that I can._

_What I am about to tell you involves the Intermundia Charm. This charm has never been used before and has been thought for years to be only myth. You, my dear boy, will be the first to use it._

_The Intermundia Charm allows the caster to enter into a separate dimension, a twin world to the one in which we are living. In that world, you will find things both different and similar to your own world. An example of the similarities between the two dimensions is that Voldemort is alive in both worlds. An example of the differences is that, in our world, your parents died to save you; in the other world, they were unable to do so. They are alive in that world and you are dead._

_You may wonder how I know so much about a world that I have never been to and is thought not to exist. In truth, I have been in contact with my counter-part, the other-world Dumbledore, if you will, for many years. I have learned much from him and he from me._

_He told me that hidden somewhere in his world there is a magical object of unknown origin. The object has the power to destroy all evil, though no one knows where or what it is exactly. Many have searched for it, but none have ever found the Legendary Object, as it is called. This thing does not exist in our world, so in order for us to obtain it and use it in the war against Voldemort, someone from our side must pass through the boundaries separating out worlds, search for the Object, and bring it back to our world._

_Not just anyone can take on such a task, though. The person who attempts to cast this charm must only exist in one world. If they exist in both worlds, the consequences could be disastrous. You, Harry, as I said, are dead in the other dimension. You only exist in one world._

_It seems that you were meant to take on this task. I have faith that where others have failed to find it, that you will. You were meant to do this thing, Harry. It is your destiny. Only you have the power to defeat Voldemort. And you will. I know you will._

_There is, however, a small price to pay on top of everything else that you must do. The other-world Dumbledore has given his permission for you to come to his world, and take the Object, once you find it, back to our world. But, he says that if you are to do this, that you must do him a favor and destroy the Voldemort in his world before you destroy the Voldemort in your own. It seems, Harry, that you were meant to be his downfall on both sides of the universe._

_Now, the Intermundia Charm is extremely difficult not to mention very dangerous. But believe me when I say that I wouldn't have suggested that you use it if I did not have complete faith in your abilities. I have written up the directions on how to proceed, so read them very carefully, and follow it exactly. One wrong move, no matter how slight it is, may result in catastrophe._

_When you enter the other world, you are not to tell anyone other than Dumbledore about your true identity and mission. He will explain everything to you when you get there. When you see him, let him know it is you by stating your true name and the false name that you will go by in that world. Your false name shall be Apollo Hero. When he hears you say this, he will know that it is truly you. You must also hide your appearance in that world, too. Looking too much like James Potter may bring about unwanted suspicions. I believe Minerva taught you a great deal about transfiguring yourself._

_Also, if you are reading this letter before your seventeenth birthday, I must ask you not to go until you come of age. And whatever you do, do not tell anyone, not even your closest friends (that means Ron and Hermione, too), what you are intending to do. With me gone, you are the only one in our world who knows about the other dimension. You must keep it secret._

_Good luck, Harry Potter. I hope that you succeed for our people's sake, and for your sake. I feel sure that you will. Remember everything that I have taught you, and look inside yourself for courage, love, and strength when you need them._

_I hope to see you on the other side again someday, when we continue our adventures in the life that comes after this one._

_Farewell,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

Harry felt completely overwhelmed. So many things seemed to be happening at once. First Dumbledore's death, and then his letter; a letter that not only told him of a quest that he must pursue, but that he must journey into a world where his parents are alive! It was all so surreal.

Feeling dazed and at a loss as to what to do next, Harry turned his attention to Remus who had once more settled himself in his chair, reading the newspaper. Feeling the brilliant green eyes upon him, Remus looked up at Harry and was taken aback by the look on the boy's face.

"Harry, what is it?" he asked alarmed.

Harry shook his head. "I can't say...it's just...oh my...I can't believe this is really happening. First Dumbledore's killed, then this..." he motioned blankly at the note he still held in his hand.

Remus smiled sympathetically, though he couldn't have possibly understood the significance of what was going on.

Harry put the note back in the box, now wishing that it _had _been a Philosopher's Stone. He didn't bother reading the Intermundia Charm directions yet. He'd go over them later when he wasn't feeling so damn shell-shocked.

In the meantime, He leaned back against his pillows and waited for the inevitable to happen. And happen it did, so suddenly that it not only startled Remus, but Harry as well.

Harry burst into tears.

He covered his face with his hands, feeling embarrassed for the second time that morning. Well, at least now he wasn't fainting in front of a whole room full of people. There was only Remus here this time. He still hated crying though, and hadn't done so in front of anyone since he was four years old.

Remus put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but said nothing, much to Harry's relief. They stayed that way for a while, Harry sobbing into his hands, and Remus sitting beside him ready to give his support if need be. The weight of two worlds had just been dropped upon his back and he couldn't even share that with anyone. He was alone in his grief and in his fear and uncertainty. So many things could go wrong. He could be killed...or worse, he could fail in this quest. Lives in both worlds depended upon him.

Eventually Harry stopped, though he still kept his hands over his face. His breathing came out in ragged hiccups as he tried desperately to regain his composure. "I...c-can't be-believe...that this is...h-happening..."

"I know," Remus said in a drained voice.

Harry looked up at him, his cheeks wet and his eyes red. For a moment he thought that perhaps he wouldn't go along with this other world mission. Yes, that's it! He would pretend he never got a letter from Dumbledore. Besides, no one would ever know what he had done, or rather, what he hadn't done. _No, _a small voice in Harry's head (that sounded a lot like Hermione) said firmly, _you _must _do this. If you don't, Voldemort will gain complete control on all your lives. More of your friends could die. Think about it! Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Remus...all of them! Even you could be killed! You have the chance to stop this war once and for all, Harry Potter, don't throw it away. Remember what Dumbledore said to you just a month ago? "If you find that you must choose between what is hard and what is easy, choose the hard because in it lies the good." Well, this is going to be hard, but it will be worth it in the end._

As Harry looked over at Remus, he felt a certain determination settle upon him. In that moment, he knew that he _had _to do this. Everyone had suffered so much, and Harry would have done anything to make it stop, even if it meant going into another unknown world.

"Remus?" he asked.

"Yes, Harry?"

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For giving me this package, for being alive, for being Remus."

Remus gave a weak smile. "You're quite welcome, Harry, believe me."

Well, there's the first chapter. I hope it wasn't too confusing. I tried to clear as many things up as I could without giving too much of the story away. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. R/R, thanks!


	3. Of Plans and Preparations

**Disclaimer: **I _wish _I had J.K. Rowling's talent, but alas, such is life. (All the lines of the "cool female voice" from the Ministry visitor's center come directly from OotP.)

**Rating: **PG-13, for violence, language, and angst

**Genre: **NO SLASH; Adventure/Action/Angst; not really a romance, though I tend to hint at Ron/Hermione and Harry/Ginny

**Spoilers: **I forgot to post this up before. Oops! Anyway, spoilers are for PS/SS, CoS, PoA, GoF, and OotP.

**Summary: **Harry makes plans and prepares for his mission while trying very hard to keep it secret.

**Author's Note: **After receiving a semi-death threat from a Canadian cough girlknight cough, I decided to update sooner than I planned. This chapter deals mainly with Harry getting ready for the Intermundia Charm and dealing with the events of the previous chapter. It ends where the prologue left off. Hope you enjoy! Thanks to all my reviewers:

**minnie-mae: **Yeah, I know, the prologue was supposed to be a bit confusing, but that's a prologue for ya! I have to admit, I was quite happy with the last chapter myself. Also, thanks for telling me about the anonymous review thing! I didn't even realize I did that! I owe you one! But I fixed it, so it's all better now. I'm so flattered that you liked it that much! You make me very happy. I just hope this chapter is just as pleasing. Thanks for reviewing!

**Narsil's edge: **Thanks so much!

**girlknight: **NO! NOT THE CANADIANS! runs and hides Actually, I live on the ocean, not very far from Canada, and it would be quite possible for them to row down and kill me. And do not question yourself with using the word "wench". It's one of my favorite words and I use it at all possible occasions. I know, poor Harry! I love him! huggles him to pieces (And don't worry; the Object is NOT the Green Flame Torch. I'm a much more original person than that.) Don't worry about me being late with updating, either. I'm rather like you in that I bug authors to update with bribes, threats, and the like. ï Thanks so much for reviewing! You made my day! (Also, I'm 6.75% French Canadian, if that will help spare my life.)

**Gohan 00: **Thank you! Here's an update for you!

**praesul femella:** Well, you're about to find out! Thanks for reviewing!

**gilgamesh987: **Is this soon enough? Thank you!

**Slayer O: **Thanks!Yeah, you are correct about the right and easy thing. Oops... I wrote that last chapter at 2 am so I was a bit tired and careless. Thanks for telling me, I'll have to fix that when I'm not feeling so lazy. ï

**wolfawaken: **I'm usually a speedy updater...usually...Thank you for reviewing!

**A-man: **Thanks, dude!

**Assur: **I totally agree. I love stories like this, but I was tired of not being able to find good ones, so I said to myself: "Enny, it's time you did something about it!" So, I hope that it will turn out alright. Crosses fingers Thank you so much for your review!

**oracle: **Thank you!

**Chapter Two:**

**Of Plans and Preparations**

"'_Charlie had to take the test twice,' said Fred, grinning. 'He failed the first time, Apparated five miles south of where he meant to, right on top of some poor old dear who was doing her shopping, remember?'"_

—_The Goblet of Fire_

31st July, 1997

Nearly two months later

"They feel...odd," Harry said, squinting into the hand mirror he was holding. "I can't stop blinking..."

"You're the one who wanted them," reminded Remus in a rather impatient voice.

"I know, but they're rather irritating..."

"Well, don't get them then."

"No, no, I want them," Harry said quickly. "It'll just take some getting used to, is all." Harry turned to Remus. "How do I look?"

"Different," Remus said.

_Good_, Harry thought. That's exactly what he wanted. It had been nearly two months since Dumbledore's death and ever since he'd been making plans and preparing himself for what was to come. One of these preparations involved changing his appearance. He knew that if he were to enter a world with a living James Potter, he was going to have to not only hide his identity. It would be rather suspicious if there was suddenly a Potter clone skulking about.

The first and, as he had originally though, easiest task in altering his appearance was to get rid of his glasses and get contacts.

Now Harry had experienced some pretty weird sensations in his life: portkeys, Disillusionment Charms, and the like, but he thought that the feeling of flexible glass on his naked eyes was beyond all the rest.

"Stop blinking," Remus chastised lightly. "You'll make your eyes water and then the contacts will fall out."

Harry stared at him. "What? How do you know so much about contacts? You don't wear them."

"I know, but...well...it just seemed like something that would happen."

Harry shook his head, laughing softly, and turned back to look at himself in the mirror again. It was true. He did indeed look quite different. It was as if glasses were a part of his body, and without them he seemed incomplete, unHarry-like.

"Well," Remus said, glancing at his watch. "Are you ready to go, Harry?"

Harry nodded and the two of them made there way out of the muggle eyewear shop and onto the busy London street.

For his birthday, Harry had owled Remus and asked him if he would bring him to London to get his Apparating license. Wizards and witches under the age of twenty needed a licensed adult in order to apply for their own registration. As the Dursleys were Muggles (not that they'd take him anyway) and Sirius was...gone (not that he'd be able to go to the Ministry of Magic), Remus seemed the best choice. As they were heading for the Ministry, Harry had spotted the eyewear shop and took the opportunity to start in on his plans for the Intermundia Charm. Not that he told Remus his real intensions for wanting contacts. In fact, Harry didn't really want contacts at all. He'd much rather prefer wearing his old glasses. He was sort of fond of the, after all.

As they walked side by side down the busy street, Remus kept glancing at Harry oddly.

"What?" Harry asked. "Is there something on my face?"

"No, that's just it," Remus said. "There's _nothing _on your face."

"Remus," Harry laughed, "I'll still wear my glasses some of the time. I just want to get used to these contacts."

"Why the sudden urge to get contacts, anyway?"

"Er...well..." Harry thought up a quick lie. "I'm seventeen now. I'm a legal wizard and everything. I thought I could do with a change. I've been wearing glasses since I was four, you know. I guess getting contacts is like a...midlife crisis, only thirty years too early."

Remus seemed to buy this, much to Harry's relief; he'd been a bit nervous that the werewolf was suspicious of him.

"Well," Remus said, smiling now, "when _I'm _old enough for a midlife crisis, I hope I don't want to dye my hair green or something."

Harry feigned confusion. "You mean you're not old enough for a midlife crisis? I thought that you'd have passed over the hill at least fifty, sixty years ago..."

Remus hit him round the head. "I'm thirty-seven, thank you very much, Mr. Potter."

Harry laughed. "Could have fooled me."

"You be nice," Remus said, grinning in spite of himself, "or I won't give you your birthday gift."

"Oh, you didn't have to get me anything," Harry said, though the mischievous smile on his face said otherwise. Then he added quickly: "What is it?"

"No, no, it's a surprise," Remus said. "You'll have to wait."

"I can't wait. I've no patience for anything. You of all people should know this."

Remus laughed. "Well, this is my revenge for that little age comment."

"If I hadn't made that comment, would you have given me my present earlier?"

"No."

"Thought so."

They reached the old, out-of-order telephone box and stepped inside. Remus dialed 6-2-4-4-2 on the warped telephone dial, and a feminine voice said: "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."

"Remus Lupin, escorting Harry Potter in order for him to attain his apparating license."

"Thank you," the disembodied voice said again. "Visitors, please take the badge and attach it to the front of your robes."

Two silver badges fell down the change chute, and Harry and Remus took their respective ones and pinned them to the fronts of their shirts.

"Visitors to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wand for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium."

That said, the floor began the shake, and the telephone box sank into the pavement until they were far underground in the Ministry of Magic.

"The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant day," said the voice as Remus and Harry made their way out of the box and into the Atrium.

Harry had not been to the Ministry since that fateful night now over a year ago. It seemed unchanged save for The Fountain of Magical Brethren which had been repaired to its original glory.

Harry and Remus made their way down the Atrium until they came to the security desk. Eric, the security guard, looked up at them and said, in a voice of utter boredom: "Step over this way, please."

Harry and Remus did as they were told, stepping closer to the desk as Eric ran a thin, gold rod up and down them. When he had finished and turned to Remus. "Wand?"

Remus handed him his wand and the security guard dropped it onto a scale. A piece of paper came shooting out of the base and Eric read: "Twelve inches, dragon-heartstring core, been in use twenty-six years?"

Remus nodded briskly, taking back his wand.

Eric repeated the weighing with Harry's wand.

"Eleven inches, phoenix-feather core, been in use six years, right?"

"Yes," Harry said.

Having finished, they continued down towards the lifts and clambered onto one. The lift ascended slowly, stopping at the seventh level to let a rather rambunctious-looking group of men off at the Department for Games and Sports before rising up again.

"Level six," the invisible feminine voice said, "Department of Magical Transportation, incorporating the Floo Network Authority, Broom Regulatory Control, Portkey Office, and Apparation Test Center."

"This is us, Harry," Remus said, and once the golden grids opened, they made their way into the hallway, following the signs to the Apparation Test Center as Ministry memo airplanes zoomed about their heads.

"Name," stated a middle-aged witch in bright blue robes once they had reached their destination. She wasn't looking up at them, instead, her head was almost completely concealed behind the latest issue of Witch Weekly.

"Er...Harry Potter..."

At that the witch looked up. She surveyed him up and down and an excited smile lit her face. "Is it really?" She looked at his visitor's badge and grew even more excited.

"I'm Cassie. And what may I do for you?"

Harry thought this was a pretty obvious question. What else would he be doing at the Apparation Test Center?

"He's going for his license," Remus stated, in his usual calm tones.

Cassie tore her mascara-laden eyes to look up at Remus. "And are you the adult supervisor?"

"Yes."

"Relation?"

"No, just a friend."

"Well," said the witch with a girly laugh, "you would have to be a friend, wouldn't you? I mean, it's not as if the poor boy has any relations." She cast a sympathetic look over to Harry.

Harry felt greatly annoyed.

"Yes, well..." Remus began before Cassie interrupted.

"Your name, please?"

"Remus Lupin."

A quill on her desk sprung to life and began to write down upon a piece of parchment not only Remus's name, but his life's history as well. When it had finished, Cassie looked down at the parchment and read it over to herself. Suddenly, she looked up sharply, her eyes wide with surprise and undisguised fear.

"It says here," she trembled, pointing down to the parchment, "that you are a—"

"Werewolf, yes," confirmed Remus in a rueful voice.

She shot him a scared yet suspicious glance, but said nothing else on the matter. She turned back to Harry, smiling.

"Come here, love," she beckoned, and Harry moved forward reluctantly.

"Now," she said, riffling through her drawers for something, "I'm going to give you a quick written test to complete in the next room, and I want you to fill it out as best you can." She pulled out a test sheet and handed it to him. "Your—er—friend can wait here for you."

"Thanks," Harry mumbled, shuffling off to the adjoining room. As he left, he distinctly heard the witch say: "I can't believe it! Harry Potter! Wait 'til I tell Ralph!"

Harry entered the room and saw that there were a few other young wizards and witches there already, each with their heads bent over their tests, scratching away with their quills.

Harry spotted Neville there, and took a seat beside him. "Hi, Neville," whispered Harry.

Neville looked up and smiled. "Going for your license, too, Harry?"

Harry was about to answer when the proctor, a gruff-looking wizard with a short grey beard, told them to be quiet.

The test wasn't very long or hard, and within a half hour, Harry felt as though he had successfully finished it. He brought the test up to the front of the room for grading.

He handed the test to the gruff wizard, who took it and, seeing the name up the sheet, looked back up at him.

"Harry Potter, eh?"

_Here we go again, _thought Harry. "Yes, sir."

Thankfully, the wizard did not indulge in Harry's presence as much as the witch had. He merely gazed at him curiously for a few moments before correcting his paper.

'There you are, son," he said, handing it back to him a few minutes later. "You passed. Bring it back out to the witch at the desk."

"Thank you, sir," Harry said, feeling quite pleased. As he left the room, he saw that poor Neville was still sitting there, looking a bit frustrated.

"Done already?" Cassie beamed as Harry walked back over to her.

'How'd it go, Harry?" Remus asked.

"Fine," Harry said smiling. "I passed."

"Oh well, of course _you _passed," the witch said absently, and Harry couldn't help feeling a bit disconcerted. He hoped that the reason he'd passed was because of reasons other than his fame.

"Now," the witch said, "I want you and your friend to go down that hallway. It will take you to where you'll be Apparating from. Good luck."

Harry and Remus walked down the hall and came to a large glass door. In gold letters painted across the top were the words: Apparation Point A Testing Area.

They entered cautiously and looked around. It was a wide room full of funny looking instruments, some of them resembling ones that Dumbledore had in his office. A kindly wizard was standing in the center of the room looking expectantly at them.

"Mr. Harry Potter?" he asked, and Harry was thankful that he didn't make a big deal about him.

"Yes, sir," Harry said, as he and Remus walked forward.

"This is Point A, where you'll be Apparating from. You'll be Apparating with your guardian to Point B...located right here." He pointed to the floor and Harry noticed for the first time that instead of a carpet, the floor was covered by a large map of the United Kingdom. Point B seemed to be located somewhere in East London.

"Now," the wizard said, "Apparating in itself is quite simple, but most people don't take the necessary precautions. Because of this, they run the risk of getting splinched. Apparating without a license is illegal and very dangerous. We at the Ministry would advise that, even _with _a license, you don not attempt to Apparate or Disapparate if you are not in good health or in a right state-of-mind. Understand?"

"Yes," Harry said, nodding.

"Right then, Apparation does not require the use of a wand, but we recommend that beginners use one. So, take it out, that's it...now, I want you to shut your eyes and picture your destination very clearly in your mind."

"What does it look like?" Harry asked.

"It's located within an old, vacated apartment building," the wizard said. "Seventh floor, in a shabby room with no wallpaper and two broken windows. Here..."

He pulled out a wrinkled photograph and showed it to Harry. "That's the place. Now, concentrate very hard...don't forget to shut your eyes...that's it...as I said, wands are not necessary, but it's safer for new Apparators to use it, so hold up your wand...yes, very good...now on the count of three, I want you to say 'Apparato!' Make sure you keep concentrating..."

Harry began to feel nervous and the wizard seemed to sense this. "Don't worry, your guardian will be with you also...now, are you ready?"

Harry nodded.

"Good...one...two...three..."

"APPARATO!"

Harry felt as though he was attached to a runaway car that kept pulling him forward, faster and faster...He kept concentrating on the picture he'd seen—the last thing he wanted was to be splinched—and as soon as it had had started, it had stopped.

Harry felt, as he opened his eyes to find that he had successfully made it to his destination, that wearing contacts was no longer number one his list of bizarre sensations.

Remus, who had indeed Apparated with him, was beaming at him proudly. "You did it, Harry, you Apparated!"

Harry couldn't help but feel pleased with himself, as well.

There was a witch in her late twenties with short brown hair standing in the old apartment. When she saw them, she smiled and said: "Congratulations, Mr. Potter." She moved over to a tidy desk that looked very much out of place in the broken down, one-room flat. She wrote something on a small slip of paper and handed it to him.

"Here's your license," she said, still smiling.

Harry looked at it. Written in lurid green ink, was his name, date of birth, gender, height, weight, when he received his license, and when he should renew it. There was also a picture of him in the corner. How this witch had got this picture or information, Harry did not know.

"Now," the witch said, "For the next six months, whenever you are Apparating, it is suggested that you use your wand. Also, saying the word 'Apparato' out loud is not necessary, but it helps beginners to concentrate better, so we also recommend that you use that for awhile as well. Now, you will be Apparating back to Point A." She stepped back from him. "When you're ready."

Harry looked up at Remus. The werewolf nodded and smiled, and together they Disapparated back to the Department of Transportation.

Later that day, upon leaving the Ministry, Harry reflected that this was the happiest he had felt in a long time, despite everything that had happened in the last two months, and everything that was going to happen in the future. But he tried not to think about that too much at the moment. It was his birthday, after all, and though the mission was highly important, it had been a long time since Harry had spent a moment considering his own needs and feelings as opposed to his friends'.

It wasn't until he and Remus had stopped for supper at an unobtrusive café, that he was forced to think about the Intermundia Charm again.

Harry was busy examining his license, happy that the picture portrayed him wearing glasses, and when he looked up, he saw Remus grinning toothily at him, a neatly wrapped present on the table between them.

It was then that Harry remembered Remus's gift.

"Oh! Thanks, Remus!" Harry said, opening it. He wasn't expecting much; the werewolf's status in society had not increased in anyway. If anything, he seemed worse off. In these troubled times, no one trusted anyone, especially werewolves.

That's why Harry was so surprised to see a very expensive present laying within the package.

"Oh my—Remus...how did you...you didn't have to...I mean you _really didn't have to_!"

Harry picked it up. It appeared to be a largish gold coin with inscriptions laden on the edges and an ancient Egyptian symbol in the center. A silver string was attached in order to wear it about the neck like a medallion. "A Transfigure Talisman..." Harry breathed, totally in awe.

"You like it then?" Remus asked, still grinning.

"Like it?" Harry asked incredulously, "I love it! They're really rare and—" he gave Remus a rather scornful look "—really expensive. You shouldn't have spent so much..."

Remus shook his head. "I've been saving for awhile, besides most of the money I used came from what Sirius left me. Listen," he leaned forward, so that no Muggles could overhear and said: "I know how much you want to be an Auror and I know how hard you've been practicing—Minerva's told me—so I thought that this could help. Most Aurors have these. They help with transfiguring yourself for disguises and things. Tonks doesn't have one, obviously, she's a metamorphmagus, but Moody does, and Kingsley, and so if you're going to be an Auror, you've got to have one."

Harry felt horribly guilty inside. One, because Remus had spent much more than he could afford, whatever he said, and two, because Harry was glad he had. He was very glad to have this thing, not because of his training to be an Auror, but because this would help to further his disguise for the Intermundia Charm.

He looked up Remus and smiled. "You have no idea how grateful I am." And he meant it.

"I think I do," Remus said, though in essence he truly didn't.

But Harry didn't feel the need to correct him.

8th August, 1997

Night of the Full Moon

Harry lay on his bed, blinking rapidly. He had just put in his contacts for the first time since his birthday. He hated wearing them, but he needed to tonight.

Harry had known a few people who had worn contacts, but none of them seemed to mind them as much as Harry did. It was as if his eyes were totally against anything touching them, as if the contacts were defiling the sacred green depths of his irises. But it was necessary, Harry continued to tell himself.

Getting rid of his glasses wasn't the only thing about his appearance that he was preparing to change though. Upon receiving the Transfigure Talisman from Remus, Harry would now be able to do something a bit more drastic. Contacts were a minor change compared to what he was now planning.

He sat up and, ignoring his twitchy eyes, he leaned over his bed to the secret floorboard in which was stored his various items of value: his father's Invisibility Cloak, the Marauder's Map, his Firebolt, recent birthday presents and cakes sent to him by his friends, and of course, Dumbledore's fateful note and Intermundia Charm directions. He decided that when he left, he would not bring his trunk. It was too heavy, and he didn't think it wise to place any spells upon it to lighten it just in case someone happened to see it floating behind him. Instead, he used his school bag and placed an Engorgio Charm on it to ensure that everything he needed would fit.

Packing everything into the magically-altered satchel, Harry left only two things out: the Charm directions he put into his pocket for later use, and his Talisman he strung around his neck.

It glittered ominously in the dimly lit room from where it sat on Harry's chest; alive with power and anticipating its forthcoming use.

Harry stood in front of the full length mirror behind his closet door. Behind his reflection he could see the slowly rising moon, full and yellow. He wondered how Remus was.

He touched the Talisman with his left hand, and with his right, he held his wand steady, pointing it at his head, or more specifically, at his hair. Harry reckoned that changing the color of his hair would be a good disguise for this new world he was entering. He was nervous, having never attempted to transfigure himself (unless you count that time with the Polyjuice Potion, and that other time with the Gilly Weed). It was still his first time transfiguring himself with a wand and a Talisman. He knew how to use them, though. Professor McGonagall had been helping him out with his Transfiguration classes, almost as determined as he to make himself an Auror. She had mentioned the usage of Transfigure Talismans, but she would not have him start practicing with them until his seventh year. Well, let's just say he was getting a bit of a head start.

The tricky part about Talismans was that they would not allow you to change more than one thing about your appearance, but Harry decided that the hair change would be enough, along with his glasses. Besides, no one would be expecting him to be anyone other than Apollo Hero, his falsified name. No one, that is, save this new Dumbledore. He was pretty confident that no one would grow suspicious, especially if he kept a low profile.

Harry took a deep breath and muttered the spell that would finish his mock identity.

"Coma adfectio."

The Talisman glowed for a moment, and the incantations along the side began to spin. Harry still held it with his left hand and he could feel it growing hot. Suddenly a golden light shot from out of his wand and into his hair. As soon as this happened, the Talisman grew cold and still once more, shinning innocently in the reflected moonlight.

Harry looked up into the mirror—and had to bite back a gasp. The last thing he'd want or need was the Dursleys waking up.

Harry was stunned amazed not only that he had gotten the spell right on the first try, but that he looked so different with a simple hair change.

His normally unruly hair was now quite neat. It no longer stuck up in the back, and it fell past his ears and just above his shoulders. It was just long enough to pull into a ponytail, he thought, remembering how cool Bill looked with one. But that was hardly the most amazing thing about it.

His hair was now a golden blond color. Not whitish like Malfoy's, but more like the sun. Harry smiled. If it wasn't for the scar on his forehead or the emerald eyes, _he _wouldn't have even recognized himself.

Grinning like a first year, Harry slipped the Talisman beneath his robes, and moved quickly to his desk. He rummaged through the draws until he found a small rubber band. Going back to the mirror, still grinning madly, he pulled his hair back into it and stood there examining the effect with pleasure. For the first time in his life, Harry felt _attractive; _he felt much more confident like this than as a messy-haired bespectacled boy.

Then the ever-present guilt returned, as did the small Hermione voice. _What are you doing? Playing around like an idiot! There's work to be done. This is serious, Harry! The point of your disguise was not to see what you'd look like in a ponytail! It's to help you in your mission! Do you think this is a game, to be played at your leisure and will? Well, this isn't a game Harry. It's war. And we'll loose if you continue to be a prat! There are innocent lives in the balance! So, get your act together!_

Harry sighed. The voice in his head was right. There was still work to be done. And first and foremost, he needed to write farewell to his friends. (Though he did decide that there was no harm in keeping the ponytail in.)

Later that night, the moon now hanging at its zenith, Harry walked down the street toward to park with the broken swings. He had spent most of his time planning there for this mission, and it was from there that he would embark on his other worldly quest.

Harry's heart was pounding in his chest. He could feel the Talisman against his skin. Every now and then it pulsated; Harry knew that as long as he kept it on his person it would keep up his disguise.

When he reached the park, he began to have second thoughts about what it was that he was doing. It wasn't the first time he had doubted and it wouldn't be the last. He didn't know if he'd ever see this world again. Dumbledore seemed to have confidence in him, but Harry was unsure of his abilities.

Maybe he should just forget it...

He was actually about to turn around when his eyes caught sight of the moon above. In that instant he wondered what would happen, in the years to come, if he didn't do this, right here right now. Would Moony still be alive? Would Ron? Hermione? Ginny? He didn't think his heart could take one more death of a friend. Too many had died. It was time for that to end, once and for all.

And so he reached into his pocket and took out the Intermundia Charm directions...

Ron awoke with a start. He had been having a funny dream, though he couldn't remember what it was. It had been very strange though.

He looked round in his dark room, the moon overhead casting shadows about him, and he was shocked to see two pairs of eyes staring at him on top of his cabinet.

"AAARGH!" Ron cried, sitting straight up and groping for his wand. "L-lumos!"

His wand tip ignited and Ron saw, to his relief, that the eyes belonged to none other than his owl Pig and Harry's owl, Hedwig.

"What're you doing here, Hedwig?" Ron asked, glancing at his watch. It was well passed midnight. 'Why's Harry sending post so late?"

Hedwig gave a mournful hoot in reply and held out her leg for Ron to untie the letter there. Yet before he could read it, Mrs. Weasley came hurtling into the room. "Ron!" she cried. "Are you alright? You woke me and your father up just now."

"It's alright, mum," he said, feeling embarrassed. "Hedwig startled me is all."

"Hedwig? Oh, Harry's owl? What's she doing here at this hour?"

"Dunno," Ron said, just as perplexed as his mother. "I was just about to read the letter..."

"Oh I hope everything's alright," Mrs. Weasley said anxiously.

"Yeah, me too..." He unsealed the letter, and was about to read it when a second body came flying into the room. It was Ginny and there were tears staining her cheeks.

"Oh! I knew you'd get one, too!" she cried, seeing the not in Ron's hand.

"What's this all about?" Mrs. Weasley said, her hands on her hips. "Ginny dear, what is it?"

"Read the note," she said, nodding to Ron.

Ron looked down at it and read:

_Dear Ron,_

_I'm writing to tell you that I'm going away for a while. I don't know when I'll be back...maybe not for years..._

_I am going someplace where neither you nor anyone else will be able to follow. I wish I could tell you where, but that might jeopardize things for you and the Order. Let it suffice to say that I've found a way...a way to destroy Voldemort. Don't worry about me, just take care of yourself. I promise I'll come back._

_Your friend,_

_Harry_

Ron looked up at his mother and sister, a sense of disbelief settling in his stomach.

"Harry's gone."

Pictures Harry with blond hair and contacts...fails...laughs...dies

Well, that's that! I'm sorry about all the exposition and stuff, but I'm really getting somewhere with all this. Really, I am...

Anyway, Review and tell me what you think. The next chapter has been really fun to write, and I hope it's fun to read!

See you!

Enny

P.S.—Please excuse all grammar mistakes. I work and hang with my boyfriend during the day, so I tend to write at night/early morning when I'm tired. YAWN Speaking of which, time for bed. Night all!


	4. Apollo Hero

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns everything familiar. They only things that are mine are the plot and Leo (Yay! My first original character!)

**Rating: **PG-13, for violence, language, and angst

**Genre: **NO SLASH; Adventure/Action/Angst; not really a romance, though I tend to hint at Ron/Hermione and Harry/Ginny

**Spoilers: **PS/SS, CoS, PoA, GoF, and OotP.

**Summary: **Enter Leo Potter, an eleven-year-old ball of curiosity and mischief. Add a splash of Sirius Black, Dumbledore, and a stranger by the name of Apollo Hero and...well, just read it...hehe...

**Author's Note: **This Wednesday I started college, so my updates might soon become a bit further apart than they were before, but by no means am I going to stop writing. Besides, do you know how long these chapters are? 17 pages on Word people. (6,645 words!) That's a lot! You're just going to have to be patient (looks pointedly at girlknight) Thanks to all my reviewers:

**girlknight: **You do indeed give me the best reviews. I cannot thank you enough. You make me laugh and urge me to update quicker. I love you, you CrAzY Canadian! Also, please tell me about the pencils. I need to know, even if I am a bit scared...hehe. I'm sorry that this update did not meet your two day limit, but I tried. I was away all week at this orientation thing and then this thing called college and had only limited access to a computer. It was rather frustrating to see your review(s) and not be able to really do anything about it until now. Stupid college! Ah well, such is life. Anyway, thank you so much! I hope you keep reading!

**Assur: **Sorry, Harry won't meet his parents until the next chapter, but he _will_ meet them I PROMISE!!! Anyway, to answer your question, no he did not. Voldemort never "died". When he killed the Other Harry, Lily wasn't there to save him at the time. Dear old Voldie never left. Thank you for your review!

**hermione21: **You are most observant! (Gives you lots of chocolate frogs) I was wondering if someone would pick up on the silver chain thing. I did it on purpose. I realize that there are numerous discussions amongst Potterheads about whether or not Lupin is affected by silver. Some people say he is and that's why Peter has the silver hand; others say he isn't because he drank from a silver goblet in OotP. In my opinion, until J.K.R. tells us otherwise, I'd say that only when he has actually transformed into a werewolf would silver affect him, and while he is in his human state, it doesn't bother him. That's just what I think though, and it's quite possible that I am wrong. Thank you for your question and for your review!

**Ryu-Pyro: **Here's an update for you! Thanks for reviewing!

**Rose of many Thorns: **Thank you so much!

**mysticXesperanza: **Thanks so much for reviewing!

**LimaBean0501: **Oh, you'll see...you'll see...MWAHAHAHA! Ahem...Thank you so very much!

**Ariana Futhark:** I know, poor Dumbledore! Tear...Thank you for reviewing!

**Darth Kottaram: **Thanks! I try to update quickly, though things may get a bit slower in the future...darn college...hehe...

**wolfawaken: **Once again, thank you very much!

**kateydidnt: **Thank you ever so much! I'm glad you like it!

**UltimateHPFreak: **Here's another chappie for you! See, I'm keeping it going! Thanks!

**NoAlias: **Wow, someone likes my writing style! (Does happy dance) Thank you!!!

**Tombadgerlock: **What do you have against Harry/Ginny? lol. Yes, I admit I am an Orange Crusher, but I promise that there will be limited romance in this fic. And yes, you are quite correct about this being the same story as the one I am publishing on Schnoogle, only without the prologue and a different title. Anyway, thank you for your reviews and I hope you keep reading.

**Klearbluocean: **Thank you so much! You are inflating my ego like it was Aunt Marge.

**Lady Phoenix Slytherin: **Thank you! Here's an update just for you...well, maybe not _just _for you. Sorry, you'll have to share it with the other readers.

**Sze: **I did! I did! See? An Update!

**Chapter Three:**

**Apollo Hero**

"_S'il vous plaît...dessine-moi un mouton..."_

—_Le Petit Prince_

Leo Potter was one of those very lucky children who had good friends and a loving family. He was a fairly small boy, though he had the potential to be tall like his father as well as a talented wizard. With his dark red hair and round hazel eyes, he was a magnet for motherly women who exclaimed time and again that they'd just _love _to take him home with them.

Leo, like most boys his age, didn't think much about the future; he tended to dwell only on the present, with little care for what came before and what would come after. He loved mischief and therefore took a great liking to his "Uncle Sirius" who was renowned as being a champion prankster.

No one seemed to understand Leo better than Sirius. Of course, Leo's parents, Lily and James, loved him greatly, but they were always a bit overprotective of him. Before Leo was born, the Dark Lord Voldemort murdered the Potter's first born, Harry. Harry Potter was no more than an infant, but Voldemort had seen fit to kill him. A prophecy had foretold that a child, supposedly Harry, would defeat the Dark Lord, so Voldemort had set about to ensure such a thing never happened.

It had taken years for Lily and James to overcome the terrible grief that had followed Harry's death. After Leo was born, they seemed finally determined to get on with their lives, though the pang at losing Harry so tragically had never truly left.

Leo knew this of course. His parents had told him of Harry, the brother he never knew, and how he had been murdered. He, too, was saddened at the death, for he would have liked very much to have had an older brother. He vowed that when he was old enough, he would join the Order of the Phoenix, just like his parents and Sirius, and get his revenge on the Dark Lord, who still continued to plague the Wizarding World with his reign of terror.

But for now, there was very little that the eleven-year-old wizard boy could do. He was preparing to start his first year at Hogwarts in September, and that took up most of his thoughts. He was too busy planning school pranks with Sirius than to plan revenge just yet.

And it was Sirius whom he was with now. Leo was spending the weekend at Sirius's house, a cheerful cottage far from the Muggle cities and villages. It was located on a wide pasture landscape, with a lush green forest nearby complete with a bubbling brook and crystal blue pond. Leo, who lived in a Muggle village, loved to visit Sirius. Here he didn't have to worry about flying his broom in front of the non-magic folk, and as Sirius was one of the few people the Potters' would trust their precious son with, they too were worry free when Leo was with him, though for different reasons.

He and Sirius had spent the day flying about the fields and swimming in the pond, but now Leo was alone, walking aimlessly about the eaves of the forest. He thought he saw the sparkle of a few faeries and the high-pitched laughter of a couple of pixies, but other than that everything was quite normal. Until...

There was a strange, sudden burst of light coming from within the woods. It made no sound; in fact, the forest seemed to unexpectedly grow deathly quiet. The light had only shown for half a second, but the image seemed to have burned itself in Leo's mind. It had been beautiful; a golden ray of light like the dawning of the sun, illuminating all the trees, making them shine with an eerie glow.

Leo's natural curious instincts kicked in and he headed toward the light's origin. He had heard rumors that when a unicorn was born, there was a flash of golden light to herald the birth, and though Sirius had never mentioned unicorns in his forest, Leo was anxious to learn more about it.

He had only gone a hundred feet or so when he came upon the place where the light had been. The trees in this part of the forest looked very windswept and slightly bent, as if a small bomb had gone off in their midst. There were no animals around to be seen or heard. The forest seemed deserted, except for something black lying on the leafy ground.

Leo stepped forward carefully. It was no unicorn that lay before him. It was a man. He was clad in dark robes, and a black cape and hood covered his face from view. The only things that weren't black were the white soles of his trainers that stuck out from under his robes.

Leo froze. His parents and Sirius and all the other adults that he knew had warned him about people who dressed in all black with hoods to hide their faces. Death Eaters, they were called, servants of Voldemort.

Perhaps a more cautious child would have turned tail and run to get an adult to help, but Leo was hardly what one would call cautious, and the thought of running away did not appeal to him. It never had.

He approached the man, his bare feet making no noise upon the forest floor. When he stopped, he was standing above him, looking down at the prone figure. The first thing that he thought to do was check and see if the man was indeed a Death Eater. Leo had heard his father mention once about followers of Voldemort having the Dark Mark insignia burned onto their left forearms. So, Leo took hold of the man's arm and shoved the sleeves of his robes up. He saw nothing but white skin; not a trace of the Dark Mark to be seen.

Leo let out a sigh of relief. This man was no Death Eater. The boy then pulled the man over onto his back and uncovered his face so that he could get a good look at him. Leo saw that the cloaked stranger was more a boy still than an adult. His youthful features were pale and exhausted-looking and his blond hair hung down in his face, half-concealing a lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead. At first, Leo wondered if the young man were dead, but he could see his chest rising and falling slowly, so he guessed that he was only sleeping.

The stranger did not appear to be hurt as if he'd been caught in a fight; in fact there wasn't a scratch on him (unless you counted the scar, but that was obviously an old wound with no connection to his present condition). It seemed that he had merely passed out. Leo didn't know whether the stranger had caused the golden light, or if he had only fell victim to it, but he had a feeling that the young man was connected to it in some way.

"Er...sir?" Leo said, giving the stranger's shoulders a shake. "Wake up, sir...sir? Wake up..."

The stranger continued to lie quite still, and Leo was just wondering what to do next, when he heard a voice calling his name.

"Leo! Leo! Time to come in now! It's getting late!"

"Sirius!" Leo called back towards the edge of the woods. "Come in here for a moment! I've found something—er—someone, actually."

"What?" A second later, Leo heard Sirius crashing through the undergrowth, branches snapping noisily as he made his way hastily to where Leo and the strange young man were.

The minute Sirius saw the black-cloaked figure on the ground, he paled, pulled out his wand, and grabbed hold of Leo's wrist, thrusting the boy backwards.

"Sirius—Sirius, it's okay—Sirius!"

"Who is that?" Sirius snapped, keeping his hand clasped tightly over Leo's wrist so that it was beginning to act as a tourniquet and Leo's hand was tingling.

"I dunno—but it's okay, Sirius, he's not a Death Eater, I checked..."

"What do you mean you 'checked'?" Sirius asked quickly.

"I checked his left forearm," Leo said, hoping Sirius would praise him for having the presence of mind to do so. "He didn't have the Dark Mark—"

"Leo," Sirius said, sounding exasperated, "that's not a sure fire way to tell if someone's a Death Eater or not."

"Then what is?"

"There isn't one," Sirius said shortly. Wand still pointing at the young man, he turned his head to look over at Leo. "Honestly, you should no better than to go near strangers."

"Aw, Sirius, you sound like Mum," whined Leo.

"Do I really?" Sirius asked suddenly, sounding mildly concerned. He shook his head. "Anyway, from now on, I don't want you going near strangers. Your parents would kill me if—"

"But Sirius—"

"No buts," Sirius said firmly. "Now stay back here while I go check things out."

He walked forward, wand still held tightly in his fist, grey eyes narrowed. He bent down slowly and peered into the young man's face. He noticed that he, too, was holding his wand in his right hand, but the stranger's grasp was lax. Sirius poked him in the shoulder, but the stranger made no movement. Perhaps he really was unconscious.

Sirius looked at the stranger's left forearm and saw that Leo was correct: there was no Dark Mark to be seen. He also looked too young to be a Death Eater, and as Sirius began to rummage through the boy's pockets, he noticed that he wore Hogwarts robes. Yet he could not find anything that could identify the stranger or link him in anyway to the Dark Arts. It seemed as if he were just an innocent passerby who had inexplicably fallen victim to some sort of...well, Sirius wasn't quite sure of what he _had _fallen victim to, or if this stranger was a victim at all.

"What are you going to do with him?" Leo asked, curiously. "You aren't going to leave him here, are you?"

"No...I suppose we could take him inside."

"Are you going to take him to St. Mungo's?"

"Nah, there doesn't seem to be anything life threateningly wrong with him. He's just passed out or something. Perhaps too much firewhiskey..."

"Must've been the light."

"What light?" Sirius asked, rounding on Leo.

"Well, that's how I found him," explained Leo. "I was walking along when I saw a flash of golden light. It was...odd. So, I went to investigate, and I found him."

"Hmm...interesting," Sirius said. "Golden light, you say? I wonder what that could mean..." He trailed off, looking pensive before returning to the task at hand. "Well, let's get him inside."

Sirius conjured up a stretcher and, with the strange, young man upon it, he directed him towards the house with his wand, Leo following behind.

As the sky around the rural countryside grew dark, neither Leo nor Sirius nor anyone else in their world could have guessed the significance of what had just occurred.

"We've set him up at my house," Sirius said, some time later, as he communicated with Dumbledore through the Floo Network. Sirius's dark head was situated in the midst of green flames that licked his face and hair. "He's still unconscious, but I don't think there's anything seriously wrong with him. I just thought that you ought to be informed...just in case..."

"I understand, Sirius," Dumbledore said, nodding. "You did the right thing. I shall be over shortly."

"Thank you, sir," Sirius said, and he pulled his head from out of the fire and back into his living room.

"What'd he say?" Leo asked curiously, as Sirius brushed ash from his hair.

"He's coming over soon," Sirius said. He stood up and smiled down at the boy. "Why don't you go upstairs and check on our guest while I wait for Dumbledore."

Leo nodded, but instead of heading upstairs, he raced for the kitchen. A moment later he emerged with a piece of chocolate cake upon a plate.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing?"

"Bringing him something to eat," Leo said cheerily, heading up the stairs, "just in case he's hungry when he wakes."

Sirius laughed. "Cake?"

Leo shrugged, grinning. "Why not? Whenever _I'm _hungry, a nice big piece of cake always does the trick."

Leo entered the spare bedroom where they had put the young man. He was lying upon the bed, still looking rather ill, but now Leo saw that he seemed to be waking up. He moved closer to the bed, placing the cake on the side table, and looked down at the stranger.

"Hey there...hey, wake up now...wake up...I've brought you something to eat..."

The stranger groaned and moved his head upon the pillow. Leo could see that he was flexing his fingers. Suddenly, a pair of brilliant green eyes shot open, and for the first time, though it was unbeknownst to either of them then, brother saw brother.

The last thing that Harry could remember was Disapparating from the park in Little Whinging, so that he could perform the spell in a more secluded area. He remembered reaching a forest, far removed from prying eyes, and how he had said the incantation and done the various things that would make the Intermundia Charm possible. And that was it. The next thing he knew, a small voice was calling for him to wake up and he found himself upon a soft bed with a young boy standing over him.

"Er...hello?" Harry said, looking around.

"Hiya!" the boy said excitedly, and Harry was forcibly reminded of Colin Creevy.

"Where am I?" Harry asked. He wondered vaguely if the Charm had worked.

"You're in Sirius Black's house."

Apparently it had.

"Sirius Black?" Harry asked quickly.

"Yeah..." the boy cocked his head curiously. "You don't know him do you?"

"Er...no...I just, um, have heard of him, is all."

"Oh," the boy said. "Well, I'm Leo, what's your name?"

"Ha—er—Apollo," Harry said, remembering the name Dumbledore had told him to use in his letter.

Leo beamed at him. "Here, have some cake." He picked up a plate that was lying on the bedside table.

"No thanks," Harry said. He wasn't feeling very hungry; truth be told, he was actually quite queasy, his stomach churning with excitement at not only finding that he'd succeeded in the Charm, but that he was currently in Sirius's house. He'd be able to see his godfather again!

Suddenly, they could hear voices coming from downstairs...two very familiar voices...voices that Harry had thought he'd heard the last of...

"Dumbledore must be here," Leo said, sticking his finger in the cake's frosting and licking it. "Mmm...still good. It's left over from my birthday you know. I'm eleven now." He stuck his chest out proudly. "I'm going to Hogwarts in September." He pointed to Harry's robes. "Do you go to Hogwarts?"

"Ah...yeah..." Harry said distractedly. So many things seemed to be happening all at once.

"What year?" Leo questioned, seemingly unobservant of Harry's distraction.

"What? Oh, seventh year."

Harry could hear the voices coming up the stairs now, their footfalls tapping against the hardwood steps.

"How come you're wearing your Hogwarts robes now?"

"Er..."

The door opened, light from the hallway spilling in. And standing there, in the doorway, were Albus Dumbledore and Sirius Black. It was all Harry could do to keep from yelping with joy and keep a straight, unaffected face.

"Ah, I see he is awake," Dumbledore said, nodding to Harry.

Leo immediately stood up in the presence of the Headmaster. "Hello, sir."

Dumbledore smiled over at him. "Hello, Leo. Looking forward to starting school?"

"Yes, sir," Leo answered politely.

"Leo," Sirius said, moving into the room, "it's late. Time for bed."

"Aw, it's only nine. Mum usually lets me stay up 'til nine-thirty..."

"_Now, _Leo," Sirius said, ushering the boy from the room. He glanced up at Dumbledore. "You'll be alright with him alone?"

Dumbledore laughed. "I think I can handle it, yes."

Sirius looked over at Harry suspiciously, his grey eyes sweeping over him. Harry squirmed, but managed a slight smile in his godfather's direction.

"I'll be downstairs if you need me," Sirius said, shuffling from the room and closing the door behind him. Harry laughed inwardly. As if Dumbledore would need anyone's help!

Once they were alone, Dumbledore regarded Harry curiously. He walked over to stand beside the bed, looking down at him, his blue eyes sparkling behind the half-moon glasses.

"May I inquire as to who you are?" the Headmaster asked.

Harry swallowed. He remembered what Dumbledore's letter had told him to do when meeting the Other Dumbledore. He took a deep breath and said: "My name's Harry Potter, but I believe that you wish me to be called Apollo Hero while I am in this world."

Dumbledore looked momentarily surprised, but then he smiled widely, perching on the edge of the bed. "So you have come at last."

"Yes, sir."

"And my counterpart is...?"

"He was killed by Lord Voldemort," Harry said sadly, but glad that he could at last speak aloud about the Intermundia Charm with someone.

Dumbledore nodded gravely. "Yes, of course that would be why you are here." He looked Harry up and down, a slight frown curving his mustache. "You look different from what I had imagined. Your Dumbledore told me that you resembled your father, though I see that you do have your mother's eyes."

"I changed my appearance before I came," Harry explained. "I got contacts and..." he pulled the talisman out from beneath his robes. "I have this, which I used to transform my hair."

Dumbledore smiled again. "A wise choice. It is better that you do not look so much like your father, that would only cause confusion and suspicion, though you will still have to be careful if in your parents' presence." He sighed, relief evident in his features. "You have no idea how good it is that you are come at last."

"Sir," Harry began, questions flooding his mind, "can you tell me more about this mission I'm on or the Object that I'm supposed to find...?"

"Ah yes, I suppose you'd be curious to learn more about that. Well," he adjusted himself more comfortably upon the bed, "what exactly do you know about this so far?"

"I know that somewhere in your world there is an Object, as you call, that has the power to destroy Voldemort. I know that this thing was not created in _my _world, but no one in your world seems to know what it is exactly or where it is. Dumbledore—_my _Dumbledore—wrote to me in a letter and said that I was—er—destined, I suppose, to travel the space between worlds and find this thing."

"Well," said the New Dumbledore, "you seem to know much already. This will make my job of explaining things to you easier."

"Sir," Harry rushed in, before the old Headmaster could continue. "How did I die? When will I be able to meet my parents? Is there anyone else dead in this world who's alive in mine and vise versa? Where—"

Dumbledore held up a long-fingered hand to hold the tide of words back. "I shall answer all your questions, but first we must get a few things out of the way. You are currently in the house of a man by the name of Sirius Black—"

"I know," Harry said quickly. "In my world, he is—was—my godfather—"

"Please, Harry, allow me to continue." Dumbledore shifted upon the bed and looked closely into Harry's eyes. "I know what it is that has occurred in your world. Dumbledore and I had a way to communicate to one another without actually coming into the other's world. He told me all about your dimension, and I about mine." He paused for a moment before saying: "Harry, you must understand how important it is to keep this secret. No one must know. If Voldemort found out about your coming...well, things would become worse off than they already are."

He sighed heavily and stood, pacing the room. He paused only to stick his finger in the cake's frosting and give it a taste. Harry smiled; it was such a Dumbledore thing to do.

"You already have an alias and alter identity," Dumbledore continued, sticking his ear close to the door in order to make sure that no one was listening from out in the hallway. "You must now have a cover-up reason for being here that we can tell the others."

"The others?"

"The Order of the Phoenix."

Harry was about to exclaim excitedly that there was an Order in his world, too, but he guessed silently that this Dumbledore must already know that.

"Sirius knows about your coming, as does young Leo Potter, so they're bound to tell someone about you, probably Order members, so it's only a matter of time before every—"

"Potter?" Harry said suddenly. "As in James and Lily Potter?"

Dumbledore looked confused. "Leo Potter, yes, your brother," and then a slight dawning of understanding was there to be seen in his sparkling blue eyes. "Leo never existed in your world, did he? Your parents did not survive to bear him. I'd almost forgotten."

"I have a brother?" Harry asked, amazed. "A real, live brother? An actual living, breathing brother?"

A mixture of pity and amusement spread itself across the old wizard's face. "Yes, Leo is your younger brother."

"Wow," Harry said, and he longed suddenly to see him face to face again, to see if he looked like him, or his father, or mother.

"You must not let him know who you are," Dumbledore said, reading his thoughts.

"I know...it's just...a brother...wow..."

He had always wanted a brother, younger, older, it didn't matter. He had always envied Ron because of this, among other things.

"What else is here that isn't in my world?" Harry asked excitedly, his stomach doing flips.

Dumbledore held up a hand. "No doubt you shall find out soon enough. But for now, we must discuss the more pressing issues." He sat once more upon the bed. "As I was saying before, Harry, you have done well to disguise yourself thus far, but now we need a reason for your being here. You can't have just popped up out of nowhere. We need a valid explanation to tell others of your presence."

"What shall we say then?"

"Well, I was thinking that perhaps you could cover for an exchange student from Beauxbatons—"

"But, sir, I don't speak much French, and I'm horrid at accents! It will never work!" Harry interrupted. "Transfiguring myself, taking on a new name, even wearing contacts...all this I can handle! But to pretend to be of another country, well, I don't think I can! It's pretty obvious that I'm British."

"Relax, dear boy," Dumbledore said in that familiar, yet odd voice. "I won't ask you to speak French or even use an accent. You can tell everyone that you are indeed British, but that your parents wanted you to attend school at Beauxbatons instead of Hogwarts. Say that that was your parents' old Alma Mata."

"But sir, that won't work," Harry said.

Dumbledore cocked his head to the side. "Why not, Harry?"

"Because...Madame Maxime...she'll know that I'm not one of her students..."

Dumbledore shook his head, cutting Harry off. "I'm afraid, Harry, that that won't be a problem. You see, Olympe Maxime and Rubeus Hagrid were both killed while on duty for the Order."

"Oh..." Harry said softly. A familiar pang rose into his chest. The Hagrid from _his _world was also dead. While up scouting out for giants again, during the summer before Harry's sixth year, an avalanche occurred up in the Alps where he and Maxime were traveling. Beauxbaton's Headmistress survived, but she could not find Hagrid. No one ever did. It hurt Harry just as much to lose Hagrid as it did Sirius. That was a bad summer.

Dumbledore looked at Harry closely. Finally the boy sighed and met the Headmaster's eyes. "Alright, so I'll say I'm from Beauxbatons. What next?"

"Well," Dumbledore said, "you can say that your parents were both killed by Death Eaters or something else equivalent to that. You can tell everyone that after their deaths, you decided to come back to the United Kingdom and attend Hogwarts for your final year."

Harry nodded. It all seemed plausible enough, and was most likely to be believed without question.

"You can say that you've already bought your robes," Dumbledore continued, gesturing to the Hogwarts uniform that Harry was wearing.

Harry nodded. And then, as if suddenly receiving an electric shock, and exclaimed: "My bag!"

Dumbledore started. "What bag?"

"I brought a bag of stuffs with me. My dad's Invisibility Cloak...the Marauder's Map—er—you know about the Marauder's Map, right?" Harry wasn't completely sure that this Dumbledore knew everything that his Dumbledore had.

But the Headmaster nodded. "Yes, I know about it. Your Dumbledore told me once. I have yet to confront Sirius and James about it, though." A slight smile played on his lips.

That brought another torrent of questions pouring into Harry's mind.

"Sir? Could you tell me why Sirius isn't in prison? Is Wormtail there instead?"

Dumbledore sighed and stood. He strode toward the one of the windows in the room. It faced the front of the house and overlooked the moonlit forest.

"Sirius never went to prison in our world and Peter Pettigrew is dead."

"Good," Harry said vehemently. He was beginning to wish more and more that this was _his _world.

Dumbledore said nothing for awhile. Then he turned to face Harry. "The events of Hallowe'en Night, 1981 were very different from the ones that took place in your world."

"What happened that night?" Harry asked. "Why wasn't my mum able to save me?"

A shadow passed over Dumbledore's face. Once more, he took a seat on the edge of the bed. A long silence passed between them, in which could only be heard the muffled sounds of Sirius trying to coax Leo into going to sleep.

"Instead of choosing Sirius as their original secret keeper," Dumbledore said, taking off his spectacles and polishing them on the hem of his robes, "your parents chose Remus Lupin. He was a safer choice than Sirius because the Dark Lord was bound to suspect Sirius of it, rather than sickly Remus. So, for a few weeks Remus kept the secret hidden deep within himself. But Sirius was not happy with this. He suspected, and not without reason, that Remus was a double agent, working for Voldemort. So, your godfather convinced you parents to switch secret keepers. They made Peter secret keeper instead, telling Remus that he was too weak physically to bear the burden. So, Remus gave it up, though reluctantly. Then, Peter betrayed your parents.

"What the others didn't know was that Remus was indeed working as a double agent. He was a spy for the Order, keeping track of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. It was such a secret mission, that not even his closest friends knew of it. So when he would be skulking around on my orders, spying on the enemy, Sirius began to think that he was a Death Eater himself.

"Anyway, that night, that terrible Hallowe'en night, Remus was standing among the Death Eaters as Voldemort told him of his plans to kill Harry Potter that very night. Remus saw Peter there, and knew that Wormtail had betrayed us all. So, he left quickly to contact your parents, to warn them of what was to come.

"But Peter got there first. I don't know what it was that was going on in his mind as he betrayed your parents, but I suspected that he felt a bit guilty about it. I don't believe that he wanted Voldemort to kill Lily and James. So, he came upon your house at Godric's Hollow before Voldemort or Remus could get there, and he stunned both your parents before they could even react. He dragged them out of the house and into the backyard where he hid them behind the hedgerows of the garden path. The moment he had finished this, Voldemort arrived, and went unhindered into the house where he killed your counterpart. Voldemort himself left unharmed.

"When your parents awoke, Peter had already fled and the Dark Mark was hanging above their cottage. They raced inside, only to find your lifeless body. As for Remus, he and Sirius both arrived there at the same time and, filled with grief and rage, tracked Peter down themselves.

"It was Remus who found him and cornered him. And no matter how much he hated Peter at that moment, he could not bring himself to kill him. So, Peter did it for them. He cast a spell, but because of his poor aim and lack of talent, the spell went wrong and both Remus and Peter were blown to bits."

Harry gasped. "Remus is dead?"

Dumbledore nodded sadly. "Yes. Remus, Peter, and yourself were killed all in the same night."

It took awhile for this story to sink in. Remus was dead in this world; it seemed that there were downsides to both dimensions.

"Well now," Dumbledore said suddenly, "let us not dwell in the past, for that cannot be changed. We must concentrate on the present and future. All that matters now is that you are here."

Harry nodded, still feeling a bit stunned. Remus had been a double agent? But wasn't that Snape's job?

"Now, you were mentioning something about a bag...?"

"Oh yes!" Harry said, having totally forgotten. "My bag, it came with me, I know it did...but the amount of magic that I was using at the time was overwhelming and I—er—passed out when I arrived," he finished, looking sheepish. Why did he _always _have to pass out?

"Then it must still be in the woods where you appeared," Dumbledore said, nodding to the window. The forest was black against the starry sky, the moon shining silvery above. The moon...there was no Moony in this world to be affected by it.

"You can retrieve it tomorrow, after you've had a good night's rest." Dumbledore went to the door and rested his hand upon the knob. "Remember what we've discussed, and keep your guard up at all times. I will be keeping in touch."

"Yes, sir," Harry said, a feeling of incompleteness settling over him. He had so many questions left unanswered, and the thought of his bag—the very bag that contained every possession of value and meaning that he owned—being out there in the forest, left him feeling slightly paranoid.

"Good night, Apollo," Dumbledore said, opening the door slowly with a twinkle in his eye.

"Good night, professor."

"It should be around here somewhere...Ah! Here it is! Thank God I've found it!"

Apollo picked up the old satchel and riffled through it, making sure all his belongings were intact. Leo had offered to help him find it, since the boy knew where he had found Apollo the night before.

Leo liked Apollo. He liked his mysterious ways, how he would smile whenever Leo spoke to him, how his eyes would grow wide with...well, Leo didn't know what, but something happened to Apollo's eyes every time Sirius would look at him. Leo knew that he wanted to be like Apollo when he was he grew up, and he was overjoyed at the fact that they would be attending Hogwarts, Leo in his first year, Apollo in his last.

Leo tried to peek at what was inside the older boy's bag, but all he caught was glint silver sheen before Apollo closed it.

"Everything there?" Leo asked.

"Yes," Apollo said, beaming down at the eleven-year-old. "Shall we go back to the house?"

"Alright," Leo shrugged, and they made their way out of the woods towards home.

Leo was pleased that Apollo was staying with them for the rest of the summer; well, staying with _Sirius _for the rest of the summer. At the end of the week, Leo would be going back home to his mum and dad, but still he was glad that he could use this time to get to know Apollo better.

Apollo had told them all about how his parents had been killed last year by Death Eaters, how he had escaped and come up here, and how had attended Beauxbatons for six years, though he had been born and raised in Surrey, England. He needed a place to stay, and since Sirius was a confirmed bachelor, living alone in his house, there seemed to be no better place. Apollo and Sirius got along quite well, anyway; it was almost as if they had known each other before.

Coming into the house, Apollo quickly raced up the stairs to put his bag away. While he was there, Leo decided to get out some parchment and quills and draw. He was very good at drawing, a talent that he had inherited from his mother. When Apollo came back down the stairs, Leo smiled up at him.

"Want to draw with me?"

Apollo looked down at the parchment, amusement written across his features. "I really can't, Leo..."

"Why not?" Leo frowned. "Do you have somewhere to go?"

"No, I mean I _can't_. I'm not much of an artist."

"Well that's why you got to practice...come on..." He patted the seat next to him, and Apollo sat down, albeit reluctantly.

Leo handed him a quill, ink bottle, and piece of parchment.

"What should I draw?" Apollo asked, looking rather lost.

"Oh, I dunno..." Leo glanced out the window for inspiration. He caught sight of a far off flock of sheep, grazing contently in the wet grass. "Draw a sheep."

"A sheep?"

"Yeah."

"Alright." Apollo set his quill to the parchment and began to draw what he thought was a fairly good likeness to a sheep. It looked a bit more like a horse to Leo, but he didn't say anything.

"There," Apollo said, giving the drawing one last detailed stroke with his quill before picking up the parchment with a flourish. "I finished."

Leo smiled, more to hold back a giggle than anything else. "That's good. You're not so bad as you say you are."

Apollo looked at him skeptically. "Are you trying to make me feel better?"

Leo grinned. "Perhaps a bit..."

Apollo let out a soft laugh. "Well, for your valiant efforts to compliment me on my lack of artistic talent. I shall give you my sheep-drawing as a reward."

"Thanks," Leo said, taking the drawing. He folded it neatly and put it in his pockets.

"Now you'll have to draw me one," Apollo said.

"Of what?"

Apollo thought for a moment. "How about a picture of your family? I would like to see your parents."

"Oh, I could show you photographs of them. Do you want to see?"

"Yes," Apollo said. "I would very much like to see them."

Leo led him up the stairs towards his bedroom saying, "You've got to promise you won't laugh at the pictures though, when you see me in the hat my mum used to make me wear as a baby..."

Well, that's that for chapter three. Phew! That took awhile. Please excuse the tardiness and lack of grammatical correctness that this chapter entailed. I tried my best.

I've got homework to do now, (BOO!!!) so I'll be seeing you later!

Also, I PROMISE that the next chapter will have Lily and James and lots more Sirius! YAY!


	5. Gryffindors Not Just In Name

**Disclaimer: **If I were J.K. Rowling, a certain someone would still be alive. At least I still have Moony. (Knocks on wood)

**Rating: **PG-13, for violence, language, and angst

**Genre: **NO SLASH; Adventure/Action/Angst; not really a romance, though I tend to hint at Ron/Hermione and Harry/Ginny

**Spoilers: **PS/SS, CoS, PoA, GoF, and OotP.

**Summary: **Harry (Apollo) is introduced to the Order and, more importantly, his parents. How will the others react to this new stranger?

**Author's Note:** I've had a lot of homework of late (Homework? In college? 'Tis a thing unheard of!) so this took awhile to write. My deepest apologies. Thanks to all my reviewers:

**kateydidnt: **Haha! Me neither! Oh...wait...actually I do...I am the author after all...lol...Thanks for the review!

**mysticXesperanza: **Well, you'll just have to see, now won't you! Thanks for reviewing!

**Tombadgerlock: **First H/G, now R/Hr! Lol...I like Ginny, I think she's turning into a strong character, as demonstrated in book five, and I think she'd be good for Harry. But anyway, I'm glad you liked this chapter, and I hope you keep reading and reviewing. I love reading your insights about character pairings and the like.

**rayvern: **Yes, Voldemort has conquered all! He is supreme ruler of the world! Bow down and worship him, all ye lowly underlings! Ahem...Thank you for reviewing!

**michaelrccurtis: **Thanks very much!

**wolfawaken: **I'm so glad to hear that. I hope I keep you happy! Thank you!

**sunny smiles: **Oh, you'll see...you'll see...Thank you very much!

**Assur: **I glad that you figured out that I am evil early on, so that it won't surprise you later. Lol! I hated killing the Other Remus, but we still got one more! Thank you very much for reviewing!

**KilikaPele: **No, no, thank _you_! And don't bite your lip too hard, it might bleed! Also, I'm not telling anybody anything! You'll just have to read to find out. Lol. I'm very glad that you love my story. Is it really brilliant? That's one of the best compliments ever. BRILLIANT!

**girlknight: **Oh boy, the Canadian is at it again! You _are _always thinking, aren't you? (You spelt sheep right, don't worry.) Super-powered pencils, what is this world coming to? Lol. I love KFC! Only, I'm allergic to chicken, so I only get the macaroni and biscuits. I'm so sad. I have this image of these pencils zooming into my Writing class and chasing me around until I finally take out my laptop and write. Super-pencil-heroes love KFC...classic! School is _such _a waste of time! I don't see why I need math if I'm going to be a writer/English teacher. Anyway, thank you, as always, for your review!

**hermione21: **Thank you again!

**ginnylilianpotter: **Thank you for taking the time to review!

**NoAlias: **I'm glad you are enjoying it! I try very hard to make everything very realistic (within the confines of a fantasy, mind you), and I'm glad that you appreciate that! Thank you so very very much!

**Yuna31: **(I apologize in advance for my abysmal French language skills) Salut! Ton anglais est très bon! Ton anglais est meilleur que mon anglais! Je suit la classe de français, mais je parle seulement un peu de la langue. Non, Leo n'a lit jamais "Le Petit Prince", mais moi je l'ai lit! À français aussi! Je l'aime! Merci! Merci!

**Allyanna: **Thank you so much! Here's an update for you!

**Rosealinde: **This is on your favorites? Wow...I guess I must have done something right. Thank you so much!

**Egyptian Flame: **Thank you very much!

**spectra2: **Thanks a bunch! I'm glad you love it!

**LuciShadow: **Yes, he could come over. The question is: will he? I'm just ever so mysterious and thought provoking...Thanks for the review!

**Melody DeMort: **Thanks!

**Chapter Four:**

**Gryffindors Not Just In Name**

"_I would have you smile again...not grieve for those whose time has come."_

—_Théoden from New Line Cinema's "Return of the King"_

**A week later**

James watched Lily from the doorway as she busied herself about the kitchen, flicking back and forth between the large cauldron over the fire to the old stone oven.

He smiled as he regarded the way she kept pushing her red tendrils out of her face, the rest of her hair caught up in a loose bun. A white apron was tied hastily around her day-robes and her face was flushed from the heat of both oven and fire.

Sometimes James had to just stop whatever he was doing and marvel at how beautiful his wife was, and how he of all people had been lucky enough to marry her.

He crept behind her and slipped his strong arms around her slim waist. Lily made absolutely no reaction to this, so used to him and ways after all these years of marriage. Instead she continued to bustle around the kitchen with him hanging onto her back in a most comical way.

Finally he turned her around, so as to look into her bright green and see his love for her reflected within them.

She smiled. "And what may I do for you, good sir?"

"I was looking for my wife," James teased.

"Oh," Lily said, feigning disappointment. "So you're married then? That's a shame..." She wrapped her arms around his neck, their faces mere inches apart.

"Yes," James replied. "Perhaps you've seen her? She's very beautiful: green eyes, dark red hair, thin, though a bit short..."

Lily hit him playfully. "I'm not short, you're just too tall."

James laughed and kissed her before she could say anything more on the matter. With Leo away at Sirius's, the two of them didn't have to worry about their young son coming in and breaking up one of their "romantic sessions", as Sirius called it.

"So," James said, pulling away from her only slightly so that he could look down at her face, "what are you doing in here?"

"Cooking, baking, and the like."

"But it's almost midnight, and we've already had dinner."

"James," Lily said, in a voice that said she had told him this several times already. "I'm preparing things for the Order. They're coming over tomorrow. We've got to discuss the recent attack in Plymouth..."

"Oh right," James said. "I'd forgotten."

Lily gave him an impatient look that died quickly. "Your mind's been a million miles away lately. What's wrong?"

James shrugged. "Nothing...I...I can't explain it..."

Lily tilted her head curiously. "What is it? Something at work?"

James shook his head rather forcefully. "No, it's...something else..." He trailed off, failing find the right words to express himself. Finally, he sighed and looked at her hard. "Can't you feel it?"

Lily looked confused. "Feel what?"

"I don't know..." James said, hating the fact that he wasn't making any sense. "Something's different."

Lily frowned. "I don't know what you mean James."

James gave a rueful laugh. "Neither do I."

"Can you describe it?"

James thought a moment, then said: "It's the feeling you get when you're seeing someone you know for the first time in a long time. Like a reunion, or something; it's that excited feeling in the pit of your stomach, nervous and apprehensive, yet glad."

"I think you need to stop working double shifts at the Ministry," Lily said, concerned.

"I'm not overworked or overtired or anything like that. I'm just...I think this is a warning, a warning that something's coming, that something _has come_. You know how I can sense weird things..."

"James," Lily said steadily, though she was a bit unnerved by her husband's recent oddness, "I want you to go upstairs and get some sleep. Between the Order and the Ministry, you've worked a full twenty-four hours today, not to mention all the other irregular hours you've worked this week."

"But I thought I would help you cook—"

"And kill the Order? Honestly James, the Death Eaters do enough damage to our ranks already without you poisoning us as well."

James gave a small smile. "I'm not that bad of a cook."

"Tell me that the next time you and Sirius have the urge to bake cookies and wind up with salmonella poisoning...again."

"That was Sirius's fault!" defended James. "He got batter all over the recipe, including the 0 in 10, so we only thought we had to bake them for _one_ minute."

Lily rolled her eyes, but failed to stifle the giggle that escaped her mouth. "You two are a real pair, you know that?"

James grinned and kissed her chastely on the cheek. "We only act up because we know it bothers you."

Lily swatted him with an oven mitt. "Go to bed."

"Yes, mum."

He headed towards the kitchen door, but stopped short and turned around, still grinning. "I love you."

"You're a prat," Lily replied, "but I suppose I love you, too."

* * *

James was running through the garden and towards the house, Lily at his heels. He heard her gasp as they both looked up at the cloudy night sky: the Dark Mark was hanging above their cottage.

And Harry was still inside.

"No...please no..." James wasn't sure whether it was he or Lily (or both) who uttered these words. He wasn't sure of anything anymore. Peter, his friend with whom he'd entrusted the safety of his family, had betrayed him.

The entered the house wildly, not caring if Voldemort was still within, not caring if they met with Death Eaters or the like. All that mattered was Harry.

It turned out that the house was empty. Not a soul deterred them from their path to the nursery.

The door to the small room was wide open and within was ominously silent. Neither were good signs. James reached the crib first and blanched at what he saw within: a tiny boy with wide, empty green eyes staring up at nothing, seeing nothing, feeling nothing.

Lily gave an anguished cry and leaped forward, snatching up her child and begging him to wake up. It was the most horrid thing James had ever experienced. He could do nothing but stand there, he couldn't even comfort his wife as she rocked the limp form of their son back and forth, sobbing hysterically, shouting incoherent curses and prayers.

James had never felt such pain. He had experienced the Cruciatus Curse before, but that was nothing more than a pinprick compared to the torture he was feeling now. He couldn't watch, he couldn't bear to see his once energetic toddler so lifeless.

He stumbled from the nursery, intending to find help, yet knowing that there was not a soul alive that could save their son. Harry was gone...gone forever...

James collapsed in the hallway outside the nursery, clutching his stomach, willing himself not to throw up. The pain was incredible, for it attacked not his nerves as _crucio_ did, but his very heart, wrenching it apart, shattering it to pieces.

James didn't know how long he crouched their in the hallway, listening to Lily so her life out in the nursery. He knew he ought to be with her, he _wanted _to be with her, but he couldn't move. If he went back into that room and comforted Lily, that would mean admitting that Harry was dead, and he would do no such thing.

"JAMES! LILY!"

James lifted his head to the familiar voice. "Padfoot..." he whispered, though his voice was so quiet he was sure Sirius could not hear him.

Nevertheless, two young men came bounding up the stairs, ashen-faced and shaking. Upon seeing James, Sirius raced toward him and pulled him into an embrace.

"Are you alright?" Sirius choked, obviously relieved to see his friend alive.

James neither spoke nor moved; he just allowed himself to be encompassed by Sirius strong arms, to shocked and pained to feel embarrassed.

Remus ventured into the nursery to see what was upsetting Lily so, and came back out a second later, his eyed full of hateful tears.

Sirius looked up at him. "What is it, Moony?"

"Harry's dead."

The silence was one James would never forget. Hearing the words said aloud seemed to make everything suddenly very real. He grabbed hold of the front of Sirius's robes and cried into this shoulder. He cried like he had never cried before, not even as he had as a child. He wanted to die, right then and there. He wanted this to be a dream, and to wake from it, but he knew that that was impossible. He was stuck in the world of pain and it was slowly driving him mad.

"Prongs...Prongs..." Sirius whispered, his voice strangled, but he said nothing more. What could he say? What do you say to your best friend after his son has been killed?

Remus bent down beside James and, with Sirius's help, they pulled him to his feet. Despite his incapacitated state, James noticed that Sirius and Remus were crying also. How could Peter have done this to them? What had they done to him to make him hate them so? When was it that they had so wronged him that it made him turn dark? On which lonely hour of contemplation did Peter decide that his friends were of no importance? Where had they gone wrong with Wormtail? Where had he gone wrong with them?

Sirius, Remus, and James, all blind with tears and clinging to each other helplessly, made their way into the room where Lily sat, gasping for breath amid her sobs, still hoping against hope that her baby would come back to her.

James pulled away from his friends and ran over to her, kneeling beside her, sharing one another's grief.

"I'm going to kill him, the fucking bastard," James heard Remus exclaimed emotionally, his eyes red with tears and rage. Had it been a different situation, James would have paid more attention to how odd it was to hear Remus say something so harsh and violent, but nothing surprised him now. Strange it was that those were the last words James would ever hear his friend say.

Remus strode from the room purposefully, his hiccupping sobs echoing in the hall. Sirius gave one last grief-filled look at the despairing couple, before he followed Remus...

"James, James, wake up, love, you're dreaming...James..."

James opened his eyes suddenly, looking confusedly around the dark room. A blurry red-headed figure bent over him, and reached over to grab his glasses from the bedside table, pushing them onto his nose.

Lily was looking down on him in concern: James was shivering and breathing hard as if he had just run a very long distance.

"Did I wake you?" James asked.

Lily shook her head, leaning over him and kissing his brow. "I was just getting into my nightgown. I've only just finished baking."

James looked over at the clock. It was past two in the morning.

"You shouldn't be up this late."

Lily shrugged, climbing onto her side of the bed. "I don't have work 'til Monday, and the Order don't come over 'til later in the afternoon. I'll have plenty of time to sleep in."

James replaced his glasses and Lily laid her head down on his chest. They lay there for awhile in silence, enjoying the closeness of each other. Finally Lily spoke, a bit hesitantly.

"You were having a nightmare."

"No..." James said softly. "No, it wasn't. It was real."

Lily rubbed his bare arms gently. "I know." It was all she could say. "I know."

James sighed and snuggled closer to her. It had been a long time since he had dreamed of that terrible night.

"It never really leaves," James whispered. "The pain."

"Pain and trials and suffering," Lily said, sadly. "Without them, we'd be Gryffindors in name alone."

* * *

Harry watched with amusement as Leo and Sirius splash around raucously in the pond. He sat on the banks, knees tucked up to his chest, arms wrapped around his legs, content to watch and enjoy the bright summer day.

"Come on, Apollo!" Leo cried, "Come on in!"

Harry shook his head. "I'd better not."

"Why?" Leo asked. "You scared of water?"

Harry laughed. "No, I just like being dry."

The real reason was, of course, the talisman around his neck. Were he to take of his shirt and jump in, they would see it, and no doubt Sirius, the Mighty Ministry Auror, would recognize it for what it is.

"That's no fun," Leo said, clearly disappointed.

Sirius smiled suddenly, an evil, scheming grin, and pulled Leo close. He whispered something in the boy's ear and soon Leo's smile matched Sirius's.

Harry immediately grew wary. He'd seen the Weasley twins mirror that same grin enough times to know that danger and/or embarrassment was never far behind.

All of a sudden, Sirius and Leo dove under the water and disappeared. A few silently ominous moments passed, and then...

"Gotcha!"

Harry cried out in mixed horror and delight as the two water-logged pranksters jumped from out of the pond and tackled him onto the grass. Then they grabbed him around the waist and tossed him head first into the cold water.

Harry emerged, gasping for breath amid his laughter. As long as he kept his shirt on, no one would notice the talisman, he told himself.

Sirius and Leo jumped back in after him, looking quite pleased with their success. Harry feigned anger and lunged at Sirius, and the two began wrestling beneath the water, coming up only to take in air.

After a moment of amused observance, Leo decided to join the fray, jumping onto Sirius's back and cheering Harry on.

It was over an hour before Sirius, Harry, and Leo decided to head inside. Sopping wet and shivering in the late afternoon breeze, Sirius performed a drying spell on the three of them, and then they made their way to the house.

It was only after they had tramped inside, leaving wet footprints on the hardwood floors, that the carefree mood died. There was a sudden burst of fire that made everyone jump, and red-gold feather and a note fell to the floor. Sirius picked it up and read:

_The meeting started an hour ago! Where are you?_

"Shit!" Sirius exclaimed. He looked around at the other two. "I forgot all about the meeting! We'd better hurry and get ready!"

The three damp wizards went zooming off into three separate directions. Sirius cast a second drying spell on himself, Leo searched anxiously for dry clothes, and Harry did both.

"Hurry up!" Sirius called to the other two. "Or I'm leaving without you!"

This was a very real threat. Sirius did not _have _to take either of them with him, but Leo loved to come to the Order meetings, even if he wasn't aloud to listen in on them. Besides, the meeting was to be held at his own house that afternoon, and he had to go home sometime; he couldn't live at Sirius's forever. And Harry had been very anxious to go, desiring to see his parents and the house that could have been his. The Order had also been equally anxious to meet him.

Harry and Leo came downstairs at the same time, the younger boy holding a backpack.

"You have all your things?" Sirius asked Leo, performing one last drying spell on the boy's red hair.

"Yes," Leo answered, blinking as Sirius shot the hot air into his face.

"You ready, Apollo?" Sirius said, turning to Harry.

Harry nodded, excitement growing in his stomach. Any minute now, any minute and he'd see his parents for real, not in a mirror, not in a picture, not in a wand, not in a pensieve, but in actual real life.

Sirius picked up an old, cracked vase. "_Portus_," he muttered, and it glowed blue.

"Everyone grab hold."

"A portkey? I hate portkeys," Leo whined. "I thought we were going to _fly _there!"

"We don't have time, Leo," Sirius said impatiently, "we can't Floo there because of the chance we're being watched, and you can't Apparate yet, so this will have to do. Now grab hold before Apollo and I leave without you."

Leo grumbled but did as he was told albeit grudgingly.

On the count of three, Harry felt the pull behind his navel and soon the world was a blur of colours as the portkey took them to their destination.

With a thud of heraldic foreboding, the three bodies landed in a heap in a cheery hallway. As they disentangled themselves from one another, Harry could hear voices coming from nearby.

A door a bit further down the hall opened and she came out.

Harry stared in wonderment. There she was.

Red hair swept back in a messy braid, green eyes—his eyes—flashing in relief upon seeing them, she rushed forward and gave Leo a tight hug.

"We were beginning to worry, Sirius," Lily said, though her voice betrayed that she had begun to worry awhile ago. "What kept you?"

"Well," Sirius said, running a nervous hand through his hair, "we were a bit—er—side tracked..."

"Swimming again?" Lily sighed.

Leo nodded fervently. "It was fun, mum! We even dragged Apollo in!"

At this, Lily turned her attention to Harry. She beamed at him and Harry felt his heart leap up to his throat, a most uncomfortable sensation of jubilation and anticipation bubbling in his chest.

"You must be Apollo, then," she said, holding her hand out to Harry. "We've heard so much about you already. I'm Lily."

"I know," Harry said, grasping her hand, "I mean—I've heard a lot about you, too, from Leo and Sirius."

The shook hands, and Harry felt a strange tingling feeling run up his forearm and into his shoulder. This was his mother. For the first time he could remember, he was actually touching her. How he longed in that moment to tell her who he truly was, to wrap his arms around her neck and hold her close as he was never allowed to do in his world.

"Leo! Welcome home, mate!"

"Hello, dad!" Leo said, as a messy-haired, bespectacled man came into the room. He gave Leo a swift hug and gave Sirius an affectionate pat on the back.

"I hope the lad wasn't too much of a hassle for you," James said.

"No more a hassle to me than I am to you, Prongs," Sirius answered.

James laughed, nodding his head. He turned then to look at Harry.

"Apollo Hero?" he asked.

"James Potter?" Harry answered, the excited feeling returning once more.

James and Harry shook hands in turn, and James smiled at him. "Welcome to Godric's Hollow, Apollo. Everyone here has been waiting to meet you. Dumbledore's told us about you, of course..."

Harry nodded. "Sorry we took so long, we were swimming, you see, and lost track of time..."

James laughed. "No need to apologize. It's perfectly understandable. But you lot haven't missed much. We've just been having dinner."

"_Just _been having dinner?" Sirius said. "If Lily's the cook, I'd say we missed a lot."

"There's still plenty left," Lily said, "and yes, I was the cook. If _James _was the cook, there wouldn't be need for a meeting, as the whole Order would be dead."

Sirius laughed. "Wait 'til Voldemort finds out that our secret weapon is James's cooking!"

Lily and Sirius collapsed into contagious giggles that spread to Leo and Harry.

"All right, all of you, lay off it," James said, annoyed. "I'm not _that _bad—stop laughing!"

Lily wiped tears of mirth from her eyes. "All right then," she said, composing herself. "Leo, I want you to put your stuff away before coming down to dinner."

"Yes, mum."

The red-headed boy trudged up the stairs while the other four made their way through the door from which Lily and James had emerged.

There, seated before them, were the Order of the Phoenix, though they were not all as Harry had remembered them to be in his world.

* * *

CLIFFHANGER!!!

I know! Evil me, right? The truth is, this chapter was going to be uber-long, so I had to chop it in half. The second half should be up shortly, never fear!

Most of this chapter was written during my Writing class (how appropriate!) while I was suppose to be writing an argument about marijuana or something. Harry's more important than marijuana, so I wrote this instead. Aren't I dedicated? Anyway...I hope you enjoyed this bit. More to come soon!

Love,

Enny

P.S.—As always, please excuse my poor grammar skills.


	6. A Stranger to Friends

**Disclaimer: **This is J.K. Rowling's world, we just live in it.

**Rating: **PG-13, for violence, language, and angst

**Genre: **NO SLASH; Adventure/Action/Angst; not really a romance, though I tend to hint at Ron/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, and there are quite a few James/Lily moments.

**Spoilers: **PS/SS, CoS, PoA, GoF, and OotP.

**Summary: **Harry (Apollo) is introduced to the Order and, more importantly, his parents. How will the others react to this new stranger?

**Dedication: **To Miles (1985-2004) I miss you. Rest in peace, my friend.

**Author's Note:** Alright, here's the second part. Hope you enjoy it! Thanks to all my reviewers:

**Egyptian Flame: **First to review this chapter! You should get a prize! (Gives you lots of Chocolate Frogs) Thank you very much!

**girlknight: **Ah well, a 98 is still an A! Marijuana is an illegal drug here in the U.S. (and most likely in Canada, too), but I was supposed to be arguing for making it legal or something. Like I said, Harry's more important. Anyway, the buses (I don't know what a cheese wagon is, sorry. Perhaps a wagon with cheese?) in the United States are said to be yellow, but they are really orange. I don't know what color they are up there in Maple Country, but I hope you win your elongated argument. Your review made me laugh out loud, too, but my family is so used to my oddness that they don't even ask anymore. Do they even _have _country singers in Canada? If so, what do they sing? (Besides your songs, of course.) Do they sing the National Anthem? "O! Canada..."erm...that's all I know... You and my sister would get along well. She likes to make up songs as well, such as: "Skip No Bo!" and "Cabbage" (which is sung entirely in Polish). My family is insane. I would like to hear these songs of yours. "Underwear Hair" sounds promising. Lol! Wow, this was a long answer to a long review. Thank you!

**NoAlias: **I know, I'm such a sucker for Lily/James. They're just so adorable together! I'm very happy that you're happy! Thank you!

**Yuna31: **De rien! Oui, tu peux toujours me reviewer en Français! Je sais, pauvre James! Ah bien...Merci beaucoup!

**KilikaPele: **Golly, I love you! No, I haven't read "My Place", but I suppose I shall now! Thank you so much!

**Assur: **Hello! You should tell my professor about the importance of Harry vs. Marijuana. But be warned, Professor Carter is such a McGonagall. Yes, you did indeed note my evilness, and it gets worse...much worse...MWAHAHA! Oh, the grammatical errors are most definitely there. Maybe it's just me, but I'm a bit of a perfectionist, and I constantly criticize my work. I'd respond to you in German (like I do to Yuna31 in French) if I knew German. I was going to take German in college but the class was all filled out! Sad, I know. Maybe next semester...I do know one phrase, though, that my friend, Janina, taught me: "Verdammt noch mal!" Figures I know how to say that. Anyway, thank you so much for your review!

**Avestia: **Another one who thinks it's brilliant! Wow! Thank you!

**ginnylilianpotter: **A fellow slow typer! I'm not alone in the world! Thank you!

**UltimateHPFreak: **I know, stupid cliffhangers. But what can I say? I'm evil. Thanks!

**heyo: **I based Leo on my little brother, who's also eleven. God help me with that child. Oh, you'll see...hehe...Thank you for reviewing!

**kit: **Oh, you'll see...hehe...thanks for reviewing (three times). Did you see that? How your review showed up three times? Weird...I had to fix it, but I almost didn't because I thought it was kinda cool how it was posted repetitively. Anyway, thanks again!

**gaul1: **Thank you very much!

**Chibi-NarutoKawaii: **Thanks!

**hermione21: **As always, thank you!

**moonfyre: **Hey there! I'm glad you like my character names. The name Leo is obviously a reflection of lions and Gryffindor, and since Apollo is the Greek god of prophecy, I thought it'd be an appropriate name for Harry. You're the first person I ever shared that with. Aren't you special? Thank you for reviewing!

**A-man: **Thank you!

**spectra2: **Thank you times infinite!

**gallandro-83: **First off, I want to thank you. You are a wonderful reviewer! Second, I shall attempt to answer your questions and comments in order...1) You are correct when you say that Dumbledore has vouched for Apollo, and the Order does indeed have reservations about Apollo, as you will see in this chapter. 2) As for slight changes in this world, you'll just have to read and see! (You were spot on when you mentioned star constellations, by the way.) 3) Ahh...the paper...Don't worry, I'm on top of it! Again, you'll find out about that in this chapter. I didn't forget about it, believe me, as it is pretty important to the plot. Again, thank you so much for your most excellent review! I hope you enjoy this next part! (I love holding control over people...heh heh...)

**Silver-Entrantress-Elf: **Thank you so much! Here's an update for you! (I love your name; anything with "Elf" in it rocks!)

**Lil Miss Potter: **Thank you very much! I hope you keep reading!

**Chapter Five:**

**A Stranger to Friends**

"_There's another world inside of me,_

_That you may never see._

_There's secrets in this life,_

_That I can't hide._

_Somewhere in this darkness,_

_There's a light that I can't find."_

_--"When I'm Gone" by 3 Doors Down_

The room in which they entered was rather large, with a long table right down the center. A group of forty or so wizards and witches were grouped about it, eating the generous dinner before them and talking amiably with each other. Harry immediately recognized many of them, his heart pumping quickly as he did so.

Ron Weasley sat at the end of the table with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, and Ginny. There were Moody, Tonks, Kingsley, Sturgis, Mundungus, Hestia Jones, Elphias Doge, Emmeline Vance, and Dedalus Diggle. McGonagall was there, as well, and seated beside her were two men with bright red hair and matching smiles, and at the head of the table sat Dumbledore. There was also a good amount of people that Harry didn't know, among them a man and a woman who looked oddly familiar with a young girl about Leo's age seated between them.

As James, Lily, Sirius, and Harry entered the room, Dumbledore stood and the others followed, their conversations dying away as they gazed curiously at Harry.

_Whether in my world or this one, I suppose I'll always be the center of attention_, Harry thought as he managed a slight smile at those people whom he knew so well, and yet not at all.

"Ah," Dumbledore said, "and here at last is Sirius."

"Sorry, I'm late," Sirius said.

"Quite all right," Dumbledore said, smiling. He turned his attention to Harry then, his eyes twinkling. "And here's Apollo Hero. Come, Apollo, let me introduce you to everyone..."

As everyone sat back down, Harry took a seat beside the headmaster, who pointed out the various Order members to him. It was hard for Harry to be introduced to so many people that he knew, and have them look on at him with no sign of recognition.

There were those that he didn't know, though, and when it came to be introduced to them, Harry often found himself amazed at what he heard.

"Jack Greene, Chloe Lechat, Kai North, Heather Meadows, Ryan Moray, Hamish Dane, Kathryn Pourinemski, Sarah Platt, Steven Shaw, Laoise Abercrombie, Pearse Manning, and Lisa Perks. And this is Marlene McKinnon," Dumbledore said, gesturing to a tall, impressive woman. Harry immediately recognized her from Moody's old photograph. "Gideon Prewett and his brother Fabian," continued Dumbledore, pointing out the two red-headed men who waved cheerily at Harry. "Alastor Moody"—Harry noticed that this Moody had two normal eyes—"And Frank and Alice Longbottom and their children Neville and Donna."

Harry's eyes widened, but he caught himself before he said anything. He had not noticed Neville there before, and he was quite taken aback to see Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom sitting there healthy and sane with their daughter sandwiched between them.

When the introductions were completed, everyone settled back into the meal and several different conversations sprung about. Harry, who was seated between Dumbledore and Sirius, was feeling suddenly very content, despite the day's revelations. His parents were sitting across from him, talking with Sirius and laughing at private jokes that the rest of the listeners were not privy to.

Leo had come in half way through the introductions and was now sitting beside his father. The Longbottoms' daughter, Donna, moved away from her parents and found a seat next to Leo. The two were obviously friends as they talked excitedly about starting Hogwarts that year.

Harry kept glancing down the table at the Weasleys, wondering where Percy was. In Harry's world, the third Weasley had made up with his parents and had joined the Order. Perhaps in this world he had not done so? However, Harry was not surprised to see that neither Aberforth Dumbledore (who was rather aloof) nor Snape were present.

Every now and then, Harry would catch Neville and Ron's eyes. It was always the same: they would smile mildly at him and then look away. But what did Harry expect? For them to notice him? He was a stranger here, Harry had to constantly remind himself, a stranger to friends, a stranger to people whom he had known for years, some since he was eleven. and yet these were not the same people. They were different, they, too, were strangers.

When dinner was finally ended, the Order began to prepare for the meeting, and that included kicking out all the underage wizards and witches. With much protesting, Leo, Neville and Donna, and Ron and Ginny were ushered from the room, Harry following behind quietly.

"We'll be done in a few hours," Lily said when the six of them had made it into the hall outside the room. "Try to stay out of trouble," she added as an after thought, her green eyes lingering on her son.

With that she smiled at them and shut the door.

As one, Ron, Ginny, Leo, Neville, and Donna threw themselves upon the door, holding their ears up to any and all cracks so as to hear. Harry watched amused. If this Order was anything like the one in his world, they would have thought to put up a Silencing Charm. A second later, this fact was confirmed, as Ginny stepped away from the door, looking disappointed but not surprised. "They _always _put that damned charm up. It's not fair!"

Neville sighed. "Ah well, it's no use crying about it. We're just going to have to keep hoping that one day they'll forget to put one up."

"Let's go play chess," Ron said, moving away from the door.

Harry grinned inwardly. Some things never change.

As it was his house, Leo led the way into a comfortable living room. There was a small shelf of books in one corner, a fireplace in another, and in the center of the room were a few small couches and chairs with a good-sized table in their midst. Neville and Ron immediately grabbed the wizard's chess board, and began to play. Harry noticed that the pieces were red and green instead of black and white.

"I play the winner," Leo said, as he and the girls took seats around the table where Ron and Neville were playing.

"Which will probably be Ron," Ginny said.

"Hey! I could win!" Neville protested.

Donna shook her head. "Nope, definitely gonna be Ron."

"My own sister!" Neville said, clearly offended, and as if to add insult to injury, one of Ron's pawns began a fight with Neville's knight and won.

Harry stood back away from the others, who seemed to have forgotten about his presence. He didn't mind much though. It gave him a chance to reflect upon the people before him.

Neville was a bit of a shock. He was not anything like he was in Harry's world. In this world he was much more confident and outspoken. He carried himself taller and prouder, and did not seem as accident prone or clumsy as Harry knew him to be.

It did not take long for Ron to win, and then Leo took Neville's place and began the second match.

Neville plopped down on a couch and Ginny sat beside him, her hand entwining with his. Harry stared. Neville and Ginny? Together? In his world, Harry and Ginny were unofficially dating, seeing each other now and then, going to Hogsmeade together. They had never kissed or done anything more, afraid of disrupting their friendship, but seeing Neville and Ginny holding hands on the couch made Harry vow that the moment he got back to his own world, he was going to do so and confirm their relationship as more than just friends. That is, if he _did _ever get back to his world.

Donna looked over at Harry suddenly and smiled at him. She looked like her mother, just as Neville did: soft, brown hair, large, blue eyes, and a pretty, round face. "You can sit down, you know. You don't have to keep standing there."

Harry moved forward, feeling ridiculously shy. He sat down on a couch beside Donna and she continued to smile at him. "See? We don't bite."

Harry nodded and returned her smile.

"Check!" Leo cried victoriously. Harry stared. Had the boy actually succeeded in beating the unbeatable Ronald Weasley?

"Check mate," Ron retorted, ending the game in record time and ensuring his own victory. "Sorry, Leo, but you should know better than to challenge the Master."

"The Master?" Ginny laughed.

"Do not mock," Ron said, raising a hand to her, "unless you can prove your worthiness."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I think all this winning has gone to your head."

"Come now, who's my next victim—I mean, opponent." Ron looked over at Harry. "Hey Apollo, want to play?"

"I suppose so," Harry said, taking Leo's spot. "As long as you go easy on me."

* * *

"...we were irreversibly surrounded. They had us on all sides, outnumbered one to five."

The Order was watching silently as Frank Longbottom paced the room, speaking of the recent attack on Plymouth. He, Alice, Elphias, Tonks, and Kai North had been the only ones present to fight the Death Eaters, barely escaping with their lives.

"We were able to aid most of the people of that area get out, but the Death Eaters' purge took live lives of three wizards and one witch. Two of the wizards were half-bloods, one was Muggle-born."

"What of the witch?" asked Jack Greene.

Frank sighed. "She was a pure-blood."

"Then why did the Death Eaters attack her?" Lily said.

"She was married to one of the half-blooded wizards. That was good enough reason as any to kill her."

"The rest got away, you say?" Moody asked.

Frank nodded. "Yes, there were a few injuries, but everyone else was fine."

"How did you manage to escape?" Arthur Weasley said, leaning forward.

"The bay," Alice said, as Frank sat back down beside her. "The Death Eater force was weak at that point, and we were able to push forward with the refugees. It's amazing what a well-placed Bubble-head Charm and some gillyweed can do to get you out of a tight spot."

"I told you that gillyweed would come in handy," Moody said, looking over at Tonks, who rolled her eyes at him.

"Yes," she said, "for once your paranoia was useful."

"Anyway," James said, "were the refugees moved to the safe camps?"

"Yes," North said. "Those with relatives have decided to stay with them, but the rest are going to live at the camps until they can find a more permanent residence."

Dumbledore nodded from where he sat and looked out at his Order. "You did what you could and you did it well. While the loss of life and homes is sad and regrettable, I see this as a victory rather than a defeat. How many were saved, did you say?"

"Fifty-eight," Frank said.

"I wish I were there," Sirius said suddenly. "I would have given those Death Eaters a great—"

"Well then it's lucky you weren't there," Moody said gruffly. "The last thing we need is young people causing more trouble than necessary."

Sirius scowled at him. "I am a fully qualified Auror, thank you, Alastor. And I do not _cause _trouble..."

Sirius realized too late the irony of his words as the entire Order burst out laughing. McGonagall fixed Sirius with a stern gaze that nonetheless was penetrated by her smirking laughter. "As your former teacher, I, for one, can vouch that you do indeed cause trouble, Mr. Black, much more trouble than should be allotted to one individual."

Sirius looked around at the others ruefully. "That's not—what I meant was—oh, shut it, Prongs!" he exclaimed as James threw back his head in laughter.

"I'm quite responsible while on duty," Sirius began again, imploring the others to believe him. "And I have mellowed out a bit from my school days," he added with a look at McGonagall.

"A bit," Lily muttered, and James snickered.

"You were just as bad, James," Sirius said.

"Indeed I was," James said, "and proud of it."

"We're only teasing you, Sirius," Alice said. "We all know that you are an exceptional Auror."

"And don't you forget it," Sirius said.

"All right," Kingsley said, "shall we move onto the next order of business?"

"And what would that be?" Dumbledore said politely, though the look in his eye said quite plainly that he knew what was coming.

"Apollo Hero," several Order members said at once.

"Yes," Sarah Platt said, "how is it that you know him again, Dumbledore?"

"And how can you be sure his is trust worthy?" asked Ryan Moray.

"I have already explained to you," Dumbledore began calmly, "that his family was killed by Death Eaters this summer, and that he has come up north to attend Hogwarts. I knew his parents. They fought hard against Voldemort, as do we, and Apollo has been brought up with the Dark Lord's threat, just as our own children have. I assure you that he is very trustworthy, and will not let slip the Order of the Phoenix to anyone." Dumbledore turned to Sirius. "I have asked Sirius to take the boy in for the remainder of the summer, and Sirius has found nothing at all to indicate that the boy is untrustworthy. Isn't that so, Sirius?"

Sirius nodded. "Yes. When I found him, he had nothing on him but a few quills, and a blank piece of parchment. Here—" Sirius rummaged in his pockets and pulled out the parchment, passing it along to the others. "Search it yourselves, I already have. I do not believe that it has been written on with Invisible Ink or charmed so that its contents can't be read. It's simply a blank piece of paper. Perhaps he was planning on writing a letter.

"I admit at first that I was skeptical about taking this young man into my home, but Dumbledore insisted, and I agreed to it. He's been there a week, and we've gotten along famously. He's a very personable boy and Leo is quite attached it him. No, I agree with Dumbledore. Apollo Hero means us no harm."

The rest of the Order looked about at one another and nodded their own agreement. If Dumbledore said that Apollo could be trusted, then his word was good enough for them.

* * *

_Done in a few hours indeed! _Harry thought as he looked up the clock that hung crookedly on the wall. It was nearing one o'clock in the morning, and one by one, his companions had fallen asleep around him. Ginny and Neville were snuggled on one of the couches together, and every time Harry looked at them he felt a strange emotion rise up within him. Was it jealousy? He wasn't sure. Ron was laying sprawled on the floor, his long legs spread-eagle and his arms under his head. Donna was curled up on a couch by herself, looking rather cat-like. Leo was dozing in a chair, his head falling upon his chest.

And Harry was in a corner, feeling detached and estranged from the people around him.

He walked over to the bookcase, and began to search for a history book to see how many differences there were between his world and this world. The only problem was that he didn't know much about his own world's history for him to pick out a difference. So he just sat in the corner, rifling through the pages aimlessly. Every now and then, he saw small comments in the margins written by his father. It appeared that this had once been a school book, for the notes written on the pages said things like: _Binns is killing me, slowly and painfully; Padfoot, did you see Snivellus during Potions? Haha!; I love L.E.; Moony, can I borrow your notes?; _and _Somebody PLEASE make Wormtail quit snoring!_

Harry read marginal comments with mixed feelings. Did the James Potter in his world write the same notes in the same book?

Ron suddenly gave a tremendous snore that tore Harry away from his thoughts.

"Shut it, Ron," Harry heard Leo mumble sleepily from his chair.

Harry suddenly realized how tired he was. The day's events had worn him out greatly. So, he set the book aside, and leaned against the wall, allowing his exhaustion to turn into sleep.

* * *

Lily, James, Frank, Alice, Molly, and Arthur entered the living room to collect their children. The meeting had gone on longer than any of them had planned, and as it was now nearing two thirty in the morning, they decided that they'd better end it.

Molly and Alice went to the couch to get Neville and Ginny, while Arthur shook Ron awake from his position on the floor. Frank gathered the sleeping Donna into his arms, and James did likewise with Leo, taking the utmost care not to wake them. It was Lily who spotted Apollo asleep in the corner, and she went over to wake him.

"Apollo," she whispered, "the meetings over, wake up..."

Apollo opened two green eyes that Lily thought reminded her of her own, and he stared at her strangely, as if he wasn't sure whether or not he was really seeing her there. But then he smiled and stretched, rubbing his neck.

"What time is it?"

"Close to two thirty," Lily answered, as Apollo picked himself up. "You're staying here for the night," Lily added.

Apollo frowned. "Are you sure that's all right?"

Lily nodded. "Of course. Sirius is staying, too, and I think you'll be far less trouble than he."

"I don't have any pajamas or anything..."

"You're about James's size, I'm sure I'll find you something."

Apollo, seeming to have no more objections, yawned widely and said: "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Come on, I'll show you where you'll be staying."

Lily watched Apollo as they exited. He was looking on at the other adults wistfully as they ushered their children from the room. Lily regarded at him sympathetically. She was his age when she had lost her own parents. She knew how terribly it hurt to lose them so young.

She put an arm around him and steered him towards a small, yet comfortable room. "I hope this will be all right?"

Apollo yawned again and nodded. "Mmhmm..."

"I'll go get you some pajamas, then," she said as she walked back out into the hallway.

On the way to her room, she passed James putting Leo to sleep. He laid the boy gently down on the bed and kissed his forehead lightly before tucking him in. Lily smiled, knowing full well that had Leo been awake, he would have been both angry and embarrassed to have his father kiss him.

But James worried about Leo, this Lily knew. He worried about him when he was away, even when he was just at Sirius's. Lily worried about him, too. She worried about them both. It seemed to Lily that anything could happen to her family at anytime these days, even when they were safe at home...Lily shook herself. _I will not think about that. Not now. I will not think about that night._

James walked out from Leo's room and joined her in the hall, slipping his arm about her waist. As they entered their own room, they were unsurprised to hear a voice greet them.

"Is Apollo all set?" Sirius asked, rummaging through James's drawers.

"Nearly," Lily answered, moving away from her husband towards the draw where Sirius stood, and pulled out two dressing gowns, one for Apollo and one for Sirius. "Here," she said, handing one to him. "Now get out, I don't want to see you until morning."

"But it is morning, love," Sirius said, turning his face so that she could kiss his cheek goodnight.

"Then not until the sun rises, and even then it will be too soon," she retorted, giving his proffered cheek a playful slap, but then kissing it anyway.

Sirius walked over to James and offered his cheek to him as well. James punched him in the arm. "Get out, you git."

Sirius sniffed with an air of feigned hurt. "Fine, I'll just go into my own room...alone..." He sighed heavily.

"Get a wife," Lily and James said together.

"I don't need a wife when I have Lily here," Sirius said, winking playfully at her.

James kicked him in the rear. "Out, Padfoot."

Sirius bowed and swept grandly from the room.

Lily shook her head, laughing. "He's a piece of work, that one."

"I don't know why I put up with him," James said, pulling off his outer robes and readying himself for bed.

"I don't know either," Lily responded, heading out of the room to deliver Apollo his pajamas. "Ponder it and tell me your conclusions when I get back."

When she entered the guest room where Apollo was staying, she found him lying dead asleep on the covers, one arm lying across his chest. She smiled and pulled the covers out from beneath him and laid them over him. She swept his fringe back off his forehead in a motherly fashion and saw a lightening bolt-shaped scar there. Contemplating where and how he could have received such a mark, she exited the room, shutting the door behind her.

Perhaps she'd ask him in the morning.

* * *

It's late, I still have homework to do, I haven't eaten anything, and yet I spend my time writing fanfiction. I think I will go and contemplate my life...after I finishing writing this story, of course.

Well, there you are! The title chapter! All great books have them, as well as great fanfics.

I'm tired now, and tomorrow is Monday, the most hated and evil of all the days of the week. The last part of this chapter made me tired. I want to go to bed! So, I think I will. G'nite all!

Love,

Enny


	7. Count Your Losses

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns everything familiar. And just for the record, Sirius isn't dead...he lives in my closet, and I'll have words with those who disagree...

**Rating: **PG-13, for violence, language, and angst

**Genre: **NO SLASH; Adventure/Action/Angst; not really a romance, though I tend to hint at Ron/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, Ginny/Neville, and there are quite a few James/Lily moments. The number of Ships in this fic just keeps on growing.

**Spoilers: **PS/SS, CoS, PoA, GoF, and OotP.

**Summary: **While everyone at home is dealing with the loss of Harry, Harry is dealing with what he's gained...

**Dedication: **To Miles (1985-2004) I miss you. Rest in peace, my friend.

**Author's Note:** I've been waiting to post this chapter for awhile now. It starts out at Carefree Ville, but then takes a right at Angst City, so watch out. And of course, thanks to all my reviewers:

**sappjody: **Thank you very much, my first reviewer for this chapter! (Gives you cart-loads of pumpkin pasties)

**Soft Willow: **I'm glad you're enjoying it thus far! Thank you!

**Kilikapele: **A masterpiece? Now _that's _the best compliment ever. Also, thank you so much for recommending such excellent fics, which I am enjoying thoroughly! I feel the need to reciprocate, so may I ask if you've read "Promises Unbroken" by Robin4 and/or "Playing the Fool" by Victory Thru Tears? Very good fics. I'm afraid, dear Kristie, that I love _you _more. Thank you so much for your review!

**lovely: **I plan to! Lol. Thank you very much!

**Assur: **(Waves excitedly) Hiya Assur! On second thought, I don't think I'd recommend telling Professor Carter (McGonagall) anything like that. She might get a bit—er—_shirty_—with you, if you catch my drift. So, I'll forgive you for not doing so. The class was COMPLETELY filled out! German is very popular where I'm from for some reason. A lot of my friends speak it. Thank you for my new word! Lol! I need to learn more! I'm going to Germany next summer, and I must be well versed in the language. (There are going to be MANY more chapters, so I'll have plenty of time to learn...hehe...) Thank you so much!

**girlknight: **Cheese wagons! That's great! What will you Canadians think of next? Shania Twain is _Canadian? _I had no idea! Yeah, I hate her, too... My sister wrote a song called "I love Cheese" as opposed to your "Cheese Cheese Hate Cheese". That's wicked funny. I would love for you and your friends to show up at my school! I would probably find your mind-numbing conversations fascinating, just like I find your reviews fascinating. Of course, you'd have to know where my school is... Have you ever heard of Massachusetts? Anyway, thank you for the excellent (if a bit short) review!

**Tombadgerlock: **Ron has to be good at _something!_ Lol. I think I'm sensing a dislike for the Weasleys from you, Tombadgerlock. Or perhaps it's just the two younger Weasleys? By the way, I added the Ginny/Neville Ship just for you! Happy early Christmas! Thank you again for reviewing! Love you, man!

**gaul1: **Thankies! I'm glad you like!

**Egyptian Flame: **I'm glad you liked the Frogs! (Puts on mystical Trelawney voice) You ask many questions, my friend, many that cannot be answered... Though I will say this: I am a H/G Shipper, so yes, there will be some MILD H/G moments. (I'm also quite fond of the H/Hr Ship, though, so keep your eyes out.) Thank you!

**Bekah: **Thank you so very much!

**FullMoon-Witch: **Thank you! I'm glad you like it!

**kit: **You shall find out the answer to all your questions in time, my dear! Thank you, and I hope you keep reading!

**ginnylilianpotter: **Thank you!

**wolfawaken: **I'm _always _working on updating, even on Mondays. Thank you for the review!

**hermione21: **You'll find out all in good time. Thank you very much for reviewing as always!

**Miss Us Padfoot: **And yet another reviewer who wants Lily and James to find out about Apollo! Don't worry about it. I'm not cruel enough to have Harry be there and not have anyone find out. Thank you for your review!

**bex: **Brilliant? Really? That's great! I know, poor Dumbledore! (And poor James and Lily, I love them!) I'm glad you like my fic so far. Thank you very much!

**NoAlias: **Thank you! Clever, eh? Not bad for a Hufflepuff like myself. Maybe I'm truly a Ravenclaw...or maybe that's just wishful thinking...lol. Aw man, calc AND physics? That sucks. I do not envy you your task. I have to take calc next semester and I'm not really looking forward to it. Not at all. Thank you so much for reviewing! (P.S.—I caught that little hint at the end of your review about the "dedicated author" not making her readers wait long for an update. Trying to make me write faster, hmm? Well, it worked. You should be proud of yourself. Pat yourself on the back.)

**Marauders-Lover: **I'm glad you love it! That makes me happy! Thank you!

**Shadowed Rains: **I'm glad that you love it and think that it's wonderful! Thank you so much!

**she-who-loves-to-read: **First of all, awesome name there. You can't get much more HP than a hyphenated, descriptive name! Second of all, thank you very much! I hope you keep reading!

**Itty bitty evil ringy of doom: **Spiffnifty is officially on my list of favorite words, along with redundancy, craptastic, and hedgerow. Thank you so much!

**Willow Ann Rover: **Fantastic, amazing, AND awesome? AND I ROCK? I am overcome! I'm afraid that it is _you _who rocks, Willow Ann, for being such a great reader/reviewer! I'm glad that you like my OC's. Thank you very very very much!

**Becus: **Thank you so much!

**Delphine Pryde: **The Hogwarts scenes aren't too far off. Just a couple more chapters. Thank you much!

**Lil Miss Potter: **HURRAY! YOU'VE WON! You're my one hundredth reviewer! Your prize of one hundred Galleons and seasonal Quidditch passes shall be mailed to you via post owl. Congratulations! Anyway, I agree with the need for bonding. Any excuse to add more Sirius is okay by me! (Hugs Sirius to death then brings him back to life.) You know me far too well. I don't think I've done a single bit of homework in seven years. LOL! And see? I still made it to college! Thank you very much!

**Lady Gallatea Ravenclaw: **Thanks!

**HPFanFicLuvr: **You're welcome deeply. Ah...food and rest, if only my mother would go to the grocery story...Thank you for your lovely review!

**Chapter Six:**

**Count Your Losses**

"_And I'm walking wounded!_

_All alone,_

_All alone!"_

—_"Walking Wounded" by Tea Party_

Sirius was quite proud of the fact that he was the first one awake the following morning considering his late evening, only to find that he was indeed second to rise. Leo was already up, sitting at the kitchen table looking decidedly bored.

Sirius ruffled Leo's dark red hair. The boy scowled and forced it back into place. It was much easier to manage than his father's own fuzzy head.

"What're you up to, Leo my lad?" Sirius asked, taking a seat across the table from him.

"Waiting for mum to get up."

Sirius cocked his head to the side. "Why?"

Leo sighed and laid his head in his hands. "So that she can make me breakfast."

Sirius gave a bark-like laugh. "Don't you think you're old enough to make it for yourself?"

"I don't know how," Leo said, not wanting to admit that he was too young for the task, yet not wanting to have to do any cooking either.

"Well, I think it's time you learned."

Sirius stood and walked over to the cauldron that hung in the fireplace. Leo immediately became apprehensive.

"Er—Sirius? You aren't going to make me...throw up...like last time, are you?"

Sirius sighed and put on a face that told they had had this conversation before. "How many times must I tell you, Leo? It was your dear old dad who decided that eggshells add a—how did he put it...oh yes—a bit of 'a delightful crunch' to omelets, not me."

"Still," Leo said, wishing that his mother would wake up and come save him, "you didn't exactly stop him..."

Sirius looked sadly at the boy, covering his heart with one hand. "I'm afraid that there is no force alive that can deter James Potter from adding eggshells to an omelet."

Leo laughed appreciatively, though his hazel eyes continued to dart hopefully towards the door. Suddenly, the creaking of the stairs announced that someone else was also awake. Leo just hoped it wasn't his dad—he could only make the breakfast situation worse.

But neither Mr. nor Mrs. Potter came into the kitchen then. Instead, a sleepy-eyes Apollo walked in, still in the clothes he had worn the previous day. Leo wondered if he was any good at cooking.

"Listen, Leo," Sirius was saying. "I make breakfast for myself all the time...and for you when you come over..."

"Yeah, toast," Leo replied, as Apollo sat down beside him.

Without so much as a "good morning" to him, Sirius looked over at Apollo and said: "Tell Leo that I make more than toast for breakfast."

"Well, there was the time we had oranges, but it's not exactly as though you _made _them..."

"I was asking _Apollo, _Leo," Sirius said indignantly. "Well, isn't it true, Apollo?"

But Apollo apparently did not hear him. He was sitting quite still, staring at his hands so intently you would have thought that they were the most fascinating things in the entire cosmos.

"Apollo?" Leo asked.

Sirius frowned. "Hello, Apollo!"

Apollo looked up, startled, as if he had just realized that he was not alone in the kitchen. "Er—you said something...?" He looked dazed, rather like a dear in headlights.

"Get much sleep last night, Apollo?" Sirius asked.

"Ah...yeah..." Apollo said distractedly, shaking his head as if to fix his brain back into place.

Leo watched him closely for a few moments. He had a feeling that there was something more than sleep deprivation that was wrong with Apollo. He wondered if something had happened to him last night after he had fallen asleep in that chair. Maybe Ron or Neville had said something that they shouldn't have said to him. The two of them could be so careless sometimes.

"All right there, Apollo?" Leo asked.

Apollo looked down at him and gave a weak smile that did not quite reach his green eyes. "I'm fine." He sighed heavily and looked around the kitchen. With what looked like a great effort, he sat up straighter and said: "So...what's for breakfast?"

"Toast," Leo said darkly, glancing at Sirius. "That is, if _he's _cooking."

Sirius pushed his dark hair back, clearly frustrated. "I don't just make toast, Leo."

Leo ignored him. "Can you cook, Apollo?"

"A bit," Apollo said. "I used to make breakfast for my aunt and uncle—" He stopped abruptly, clearly having not meant to have said what he did.

"Your aunt and uncle?" Sirius questioned, claiming once more a seat across the table from the two boys.

"Er...yeah...they...erm...they were...uh...sick a lot and couldn't do much on their own..."

"Did they live with you and your parents?" Leo asked quietly. The subject of Apollo's family had never really been discussed before, at least not while Leo had been present. The boy guessed that it was probably still a very sensitive issue.

"Uh...yes..." Apollo said, once more looking at his hands. Leo noted vaguely that there was a rather strange scar on the back of Apollo's right hand.

An awkward silence descended, but was broken quickly as Lily entered the kitchen, her bright morning smile quite infectious.

"Mum!" gasped Leo in relief. He would be spared Sirius's toast.

Lily looked over at her son, amused. "Leo!" she mimicked, before kissing the top of his head and making him grimace.

"What about me?" Sirius asked, pouting and giving her sad puppy-eyes.

"Well, I suppose you get a kiss, too," Lily laughed, and pecked him on the cheek. Now it was her turn to grimace. "Argh...stubble...go shave and then you can have breakfast."

"What? I can't shave on an empty stomach! In my weakened state, I may cut my beautiful face."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Now that would be a tragedy. I can see it now...front page of the _Daily Prophet_: Half-Starved Sirius Black Cuts Ego with Razor..."

"Don't even joke about such things!" Sirius said, sitting back in his chair and feigning a great loss of pride.

"What are we joking about?" a voice asked from the doorway.

Lily looked over at her husband. "Your partner in crime here—" she jabbed a thumb at Sirius, who put on an innocent _who, me? _face—"thinks it would be a crime to mar that overrated façade of his."

"And so it would be," James agreed with mock sincerity, and Lily, who had expected this answer, threw her hands up in the air in defeat.

"You people are mad...the lot of you...nutters!" She looked apologetically at Apollo. "I'm so sorry that you have to put up with Sirius-ly Deranged Black for the rest of the summer."

Apollo laughed. "I don't mind. I think it's rather funny, actually."

Sirius beamed at Apollo. "Ah, a man after my own heart. Apollo doesn't mind my toast either," he added.

"Speaking of which," Leo interrupted, trying to make himself look as though he were an inch from death, "I'm _starving_." He paused, the said: "Er...please?"

"Well, since you asked so nicely," Lily said. She walked over to the large fireplace and ignited it with her wand. "Porridge for breakfast?" she asked the others.

"Mmm...yes please," Sirius said. "But Leo wants toast, he told me so—"

Leo threw a fork at the older wizard's head. "How's that for marring your face?"

"Enough," Lily said mildly, milling about the hearth.

James took the opportunity then to say good morning to his wife properly. He walked up behind her and began laying kisses upon her neck affectionately.

"Urgh..._dad_...stop it..." Leo said, watching the loving display with undisguised disgust.

Lily smiled at her son's remark and turned around, pressing James's lips onto her own.

Leo covered his eyes with his hands. "_Mum! _Now I'm going to have that image in my head while I'm _eating_!"

Sirius and Apollo laughed at the boy's distress. James broke free from his wife, grinning. "Someday you might not mind as much."

Leo grumbled and poured himself some pumpkin juice from a pitcher on the table.

Breakfast was a pleasant affair, or as pleasant as it can be with Sirius telling jokes and saying random words whenever Leo tried to drink from his goblet. But instead of causing juice to spurt out of Leo's nose, James began to choke on his porridge, half coughing, half laughing.

"All right, Sirius," Lily said loudly, patting her husband's back.

"What?" Sirius said innocently, taking a sip of coffee.

Lily shook her head. "Never mind, just don't talk." She turned her attention then to Apollo, who was sitting quietly, picking at his breakfast. "Everything all right?" she asked him.

Apollo looked up at her apologetically. "Yes, I'm just not that hungry, I guess."

"Apollo," Lily said, careful to keep her tone light and casual, "may I ask you something?"

Apollo looked up at her once more. "Of course."

She paused, not knowing exactly how to proceed. To just come out and say what she wanted to say would be awkward, and she wished she had thought about this before she decided to ask, but there was nothing for it now. She was going to have to be straightforward.

"I noticed that you have a very interesting scar on your forehead. How did you get it?"

"Yeah, I noticed it, too," Leo said, obviously thinking that since his mother asked, it must be an appropriate subject to breach.

Apollo looked down at his porridge with renewed interest.

"I got it the night my parents died."

Once more, an uncomfortable silence fell, and Lily wished that had asked. What was she thinking?

"It's all right, really," he said quickly, seeing their uneasy glances.

Lily's heart went out to him then. She had been his age when her own parents had died; she knew how hard it could be. But at least she had been in familiar settings then—Apollo had been thrust into the homes of strangers, far from friends and familiarity.

"It's all right," he said again, but looking at his face, Lily had the feeling that all was not right with Apollo Hero.

* * *

Remus Lupin had now fallen into the habit of measuring his life not by years, but by periods of altering loneliness and friendship.

There was his early childhood, before Hogwarts, when he lived alone with his mother and father, learning to deal with the monster within himself. Next there was his time at Hogwarts and the short years that followed during the First War where, for the first time, he had friends, people who loved and respected him (people other than his parents) for who he was, not what he was. Then there came the twelve terrible long years where he was once again alone, walking wounded in a world that hated him. And then came his return to Hogwarts, his getting to know Harry Potter, and the redemption of Sirius Black. Once more, he had friends, once more he no longer felt ostracized and exiled. And though his renewed friendship with Padfoot was short-lived, Remus found that he still had others who cared for him and helped him through that dark time.

And then Harry left.

And everything changed. Again.

The disappearance of Harry, so closely following the death of Albus Dumbledore, marked a dark hour in the history of the Wizarding World. Although no one, not even the Order of the Phoenix, knew what the Prophecy concerning Harry and Voldemort said, it did not take a genius to figure out that Harry was to play an important figure in the War. Probably the _most _important figure save the Dark Lord himself, Remus often reflected.

Now that Harry was gone, a sense of loss and uncertainty had fallen upon the lives of all those opposed to Lord Voldemort. Even the Dark Lord's own forces seemed wary of Harry's sudden and unannounced absence; they seemed to think of it as a bad sign for the Dark Forces, that perhaps Harry had indeed found a way to destroy Voldemort, as he had said he had...

Remus looked down once more at the letter Harry had sent him, though it would not be for the last time. He had read it a million times over, memorized it, could even give it to you backwards, but still he continued to pour over it, as if it would speak words of comfort and assurance to him.

He felt so useless, just sitting there in Grimmauld Place's kitchen, but there was nothing in the world that he could do. Harry was gone, and though the Order had searched high and low for any sign of him, that fact still remained.

He was gone—vanished into thin air, as though he had never existed at all.

Remus was the only one who hadn't searched, and though he felt terrible because of it, he knew that there was no use in doing so. Harry had told them not to search for him, and Remus knew that there would be no finding him if he didn't want to be.

That didn't stop him from feeling useless however. He wished he _could _find Harry, if only he knew where to look. Yet at the same time, somewhere deep down, past all the fatherly cares and worries that Remus had learned to feel for the boy, he knew that this was for the best. Harry had said he would return someday, and when he did, he would be ready to destroy Voldemort. But when and how that happened was anyone's guess.

Tonks came into the room then, walking carefully so as not to drop the massive amount of paperwork she was cradling in her arms. Remus looked up at her and managed a wan smile. "Hello, Nympha—"

"_Remus_," Tonks warned, setting the papers down onto the long table.

"I think it's a nice name," Remus defended.

"Well you would with a name like 'Remus'," she muttered.

"I don't know why you don't like it," Remus said, ignoring her last remark.

She sighed, changing the subject. "I've got these papers here that need sorting through..." She gestured to the pile.

"What are they of?" Remus asked, picking up one of the papers.

Tonks shuffled her rather large feet and said: "Possible places that Harry could have gone off to—"

"Tonks," Remus said, a sharp edge to his voice that she had never heard there before, "we are not going to find him, no matter what we do."

"You're right," she said, suddenly angry, snatching the paper from his hand. "We'll never find him because _some people _refuse to get off their lazy asses and look!"

"It's not that simple, Tonks," Remus said, angry in his own turn. "He doesn't want to be found!"

"How do you know that?" Tonks countered, pushing her face up close to Remus's. "How do you know that those letters weren't forgeries? He could be out there right now, hoping that we have the sense to go and find him!"

"Forgeries sent by Hedwig?" Remus said, disbelievingly. "Moody's beginning to rub off, Tonks..."

"Well, he could have written them while under the Imperius Curse then!"

"Harry can throw off that Curse as though it were a fly buzzing about his ear! You know that!"

"Why are you so against finding him?" Tonks screamed in frustration, her face the same colour as her hair.

"Because he has to do this!"

"And to think, I thought you cared about him!"

Remus stood so quickly that the chair fell over. He stood nose to nose with her, staring into those steely grey eyes...Sirius's eyes.

"I care very much for Harry," Remus said, his voice full of forced calm that covered a rage bubbling beneath the surface, "more than you'll ever know. Perhaps more than _I'll _ever know."

"So how can you just let him go...without even trying to get him back?" Tonks was relenting now, backing slowly away from him.

"Look at this letter, Tonks! Look at what it says! He has to do this! If we stop him, even if we could, he would never forgive us!"

"We won't stop him then," Tonks said, trying to sound reasoning. "We'll find him and help him..."

"Obviously if he needed or wanted our help, he would have asked for it," Remus said, fixing the upturned chair and sitting back down onto it. "He has to do this alone, and we have to let him." He looked back up at the young woman before him, a desperate light shining in his amber eyes. "We have to trust him, Tonks! If not him, who else do we have?"

"I don't know," Tonks said heavily, sinking into a chair beside Remus. "I don't know much of anything anymore. This War is far beyond Aurors and the Ministry...far beyond the Order even. Everything's happening so fast...Dumbledore and Harry..." She met Remus's eyes. "We're fighting a losing battle, aren't we?"

"And we'll go on fighting," Remus said nodding.

"I know we will. We have to. It's the only thing left to do besides lay down and die."

"We mustn't keep counting our losses," Remus said, trying to sound comforting. "We have to think positively. Harry won't let us down. He'll find a way to stop this War. He'll come through for us, I know he will."

"Why do you have to be such an optimist?" Tonks said, shuffling the papers before her needlessly. "It's bothersome. Why can't you be normal and despair like the rest of us?"

Remus smiled weakly and touched her shoulder. "Someone has to keep their head above the ground and hope that the rain stops. It always does, in the end," he said, even if he himself didn't even believe it. It sounded like the right thing to say, though. _That's how I'll survive this War_, he thought darkly, _by saying nice-sounding things while the world crashes down around me._

"End..." Tonks whispered, and Remus was unsure if she meant to speak aloud. "When will it end?"

"Someday," Remus answered. "I'll let you know when it does."

Tonks looked over at him, smiling softly. "Promise?"

"Cross my heart."

_Hope to die._

* * *

Harry sat down upon his bed tiredly. He had just spent the most emotionally and mentally draining twenty-four hours of his seventeen years of life, and was now back at Sirius's house, alone in his room, to mull it all over in his head.

He had known what it was he was getting himself into when he arrived. Both Dumbledores had told him a lot about this world, and he had been well prepared with disguises and false identities and the like.

He knew that his parents would be there, well and alive. He _knew _that.

But he never truly understood it until he saw them.

Why did he think that dealing with living parents would be easy? Why did he think that the only difficult parts of his mission would be to find the Object and destroy Voldemort? How could he have believed for an instant that seeing Lily and James Potter would do nothing but make him happy? How could he have been so blind? So stupid?

Harry threw himself onto his back, staring at the ceiling and picking out the different shapes in the plaster. A portrait of an old man on a nearby wall was snoring. The clock beside his bed was ticking in an off-rhythm way. The wind outside was beating against the window. The August rain was beating lightly on the roof.

But Harry Potter heard none of it because his mind was screaming.

He rolled over onto his stomach and buried his head in his pillow, arms lying straight at his sides, fingers digging into the comforter. He squeezed his eyes shut so hard that it hurt, but still the screaming in his head continued. He couldn't make out what it was saying, but he knew. It just wished it would stop. Was he going mad?

He brought his hands up to his ears and tried to shut out the screams. He tried not to think, not to hear, not to feel...

When he opened his eyes again, it was dark outside, and for a moment he wondered where he was. And then he remembered. There was no going back.

His eyes hurt. _Stupid contacts, _he thought bitterly, and got up to take them out. He noticed that the clock read two in the morning as he passed it.

Having relieved himself of the contacts that plagued his eyes daily, he stumbled half blind back into his room and fell onto his bed, the mattress giving him a welcoming creak.

He shut his eyes again, but for whatever reason it was, it seemed as though practicing Occlumency in this world just didn't work, and he was tormented with dreams of eyes just like his, of hair just like his, of being so close to the one thing he desired more than anything and being unable to have it.

He wasn't sure when or how it was that the realization of what was happening to him hit home, but when it did, it came with such a powerful force that he felt as though he couldn't breathe...that he was drowning in his own grief and emotional complexity. All he knew was that he'd be glad when this whole ordeal was over, and he could get back to living a normal life...or as normal as life ever was for Harry Potter.

* * *

I posted this chapter in honor of Professor McGonagall's birthday. I don't know how old she is, and I don't dare ask.

I just want to give an extra thank you to everyone who's taken the time to review thus far (hint hint wink wink). No really, I love you guys! (Hugs all of you)

Leo: Enough with public displays of affection!

All right, next chapter (in which we meet new people and answer more pressing questions) should be up within the week, unless ANOTHER hurricane comes along and destroys the electricity in my house..._again_...Stupid Jeanne...

Have a great week, everyone (and please forgive any errors within the chapter)!

Love,

Enny

P.S.—I'll let all you Wotcher Wolfie shippers decide whether _that scene_ was platonic or...you know..._otherwise_...


	8. Fight for Light

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling may own Harry Potter, but that doesn't mean I can't borrow him from time to time...

**Rating: **PG-13, for violence, language, and angst

**Genre: **NO SLASH; Adventure/Action/Angst; not really a romance, though I tend to hint at Ron/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, Ginny/Neville, and there are quite a few James/Lily moments. (I'm sorry, steffis, there will be no H/Narcissa.)

**Spoilers: **PS/SS, CoS, PoA, GoF, and OotP.

**Summary: **Order/Ministry vs. Death Eaters: Round One

**Dedication: **To Miles (1985-2004) I miss you. Rest in peace, my friend.

**Author's Note:** Now begins the Rising Action! Rejoice and be glad! I would like to send an extra special thank you to the Lord of Procrastination (thesteffis) for corrupting—er—helping me to see the beauty of Harry/Narcissa and Harry/Other-Not-So-Well-Known-Female-Characters. Lol! Keep an eye out for me e-mailing you to beta me, and beware of angry fan-mobs! And of course, much love and thanks to my reviewers:

**becus: **'Tis my great friend, becus! I'm so glad you like it, but unfortunately you ask questions that I cannot answer at this time. Soon though...soon the answers will come... Thank you for your review!

**NoAlias: **No mushy Lupin/Tonks will be found in this story...if I was to include a romance with them at all, it would be hard-core angst only, not fluff. I loves me angst...There will be more parts with the "real" Harry Potter world, so I'm glad you like them. I can't very well write a story without my Moony! Thank you yet again for your excellent review!

**Itty bitty evil ringy of doom: **I just thought you should know that you truly have the greatest author name. Thank you for reviewing!

**Yuna31: **Salutations! (Je haïs l'école.) Ah Snape! Tu vas voir Snape...Non! Je ne peux pas dire! C'est un secret! (Je l'adore aussi.) Pauvre Harry, pauvre Remus, pauvre tout le monde! Bien, pas pauvre Dracon Malefoy. Je déteste les Malefoys...mais Tom Felton et Jason Issacs sont très jolis, n'est-ce pas? Héhé! Merci, mon amie! Merci!

**Tatshing: **Thank you very much!

**FullMoon-Witch: **Is it really one of the best ones you've read? Wow. I am humbled. Thank you lots!

**heyo: **Last chapter was the "transition" chapter, as I call it, where the exposition ended and the rising action began. This chapter a lot more will be going on. _Everyone _is in a hurry to have James, Lily, Sirius, etc. find out who Harry is, you are not the only one. Lol. You must be patient, my child. The more you wait, the better it will be when (if) it happens. Yes, I am evil. Thank you for reviewing!

**Egyptian Flame: **Ah yes, there is much action in this chapter, though not as much as there will be in later chapters (I'm all about big battle scenes). I hand out little doses of action first that gradually get bigger. Lol! Thanks, mate!

**caitea: **Wow...thanks! I'm glad you really like it. I try hard to make it original. Thank you again!

**gaul1: **Hello! Glad you enjoyed! Thank you!

**Lil Miss Potter: **Ah, confusion to come, my friend, lots and lots ;-) It would be awesome if you were my 200th reviewer, or even my 150th...tehe...Try hard! Thank you for reviewing!

**Sirius1Fan: **(Hands you box of Kleenex) Oh dear! Don't start crying yet! It only gets worse! Just wait 'til...sorry, can't say. Top secret, that is. Thank you so much!

**Kilikapele: **(Loves you more) It would be amazing if Remus could make it to the other world, wouldn't it? (Moony says hi.) Yes, everyone's got to love Padfoot. I think it should be a law, or at least the eleventh commandment: _And the Lord said unto Moses, 'Thou shalt love Sirius Black unconditionally all thy days...' _If only...I do indeed enjoy writing. It's more than a hobby, it's an obsession. Harry Potter is also an obsession, as is peanut-butter hot chocolate (mmm), but I'll not go into that. I'm rambling now. Anyway, I'm glad that you're going to read (if you haven't started already) "Playing the Fool" and "Promises Unbroken". They are truly excellent fics. Anywho, thank you so much, my home-schooled friend. I'm constantly checking for updates as well, since I go to college, and that pretty much equates to no school anyway. Hehe. Thanks again!

**girlknight: **My poor Canadian friend. The mean review-button was giving you a hard time, wasn't? Allow me to maim it for you. It's okay, though, because your review showed up twice, which is wicked awesome. Yes, your short reviews are quite long, and therefore you do indeed rock. Splurge Man, eh? I wouldn't want to mess with him. he goo Professor Christopher (my math teacher) to the outside of Hart Hall (where my math class is)? I would love Splurge Man (and you) forever if he did that. No more math! Wheee! Well, here's a speedy update so that I don't get gooed upon. I look forward to reading your next excellent review! Thank you!

**Kara Adar: **Thank you so much, mate! Here's an update for you!

**KC's-Diamond: **Poor Harry does indeed miss being himself :( Thank you for reviewing!

**BloodRedSword: **Thank you! Here's an update!

**scotgirl: **Oho! The twists are a-comin'! Not yet, though, but eventually. Towards the end more...Thank you so much for your excellent review!

**kit: **No worries,Harry will slip up again. Next chapter, I believe, and a bit in this one...hehe...Thank you very much!

**Bitchmonkey2000: **_Happy belated birthday to you! Happy belated birthday to you! Happy belated birthday, dear Bitchmonkey2000! Happy belated birthday to yooooooou!!! _(Gives you large cake with lettering in green icing that reads: _Happee Birthdae, BITCHMONKEY2000!_) Thank you for reviewing!

**Esmee Squalor: **Early in the morning is the best time to read fanfiction. Between the hours of 2am and 4am. Prime time, that is ;-) Thank you for your excellent early-morning review!

**phoebe666: **Thanks! Here's an update for you!

**Assur: **Gütentag (I have no idea if I spelt that right), Assur! How was Denmark? I wish I could go to Denmark. I'm eighteen-years-old and I've never left the U.S. I've never even been to Canada which is real close to where I live! Ugh. Germany will be the first country I ever visit. Yay for Germany! (Readies self for German lesson) Ahh...that is a VERY important phrase. Thank you. I guarantee you I will use it, especially since I'm taking my younger sister with me :P Thank you so much! I can't wait to learn more!

**kyla: **Lol! Everyone's been asking me that. I will not give away what I'm going to do with our resident werewolf, but he will play an important part, whether in one world or the other. You are right, though. He _could _go to the other world. The question is: will he? Thank you very much for reviewing! (I like long chapters, too.)

**Andrea: **Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it!

**Sirius Revenge: **There shall be lots of Remus for all you Moony-worshipers, so that you won't be too sad. Of course I don't blame you for sending the hurricanes. Not unless you're God, Lol. Thank you for your review!

**vache: **Thank you lots! I'm glad you like it! Here's an update for you!

**Chapter Seven:**

**Fight for Light**

"_Cut me free,_

_Bleed with me,_

_Oh no!_

_One by one,_

_We will fall,_

_down down!_

_Pull the plug,_

_End the pain,_

_Run'n fight for life!_

_Hold on tight,_

_This ain't my fight!"_

_--"10th Man Down" by Nightwish_

Sirius knew he was dreaming, not because he could vaguely feel his head upon his pillow, but because nothing remotely close to what was happening to him could ever happen in real life.

He was kneeling upon a very grimy patch of ground, or perhaps it was a floor of some kind? He couldn't tell. All he knew was that it was dark and cold, and he was feeling very afraid, more so than he had ever felt before in his entire life.

There were bars surrounding him. And from without his cage, or cell, or wherever it was he was, he could see people looking in at him. At first he could not make out their identities, but slowly he began to recognize faces...

"It wasn't me," Sirius whispered, his voice hoarse. "It wasn't me...I wouldn't...I'm innocent..."

He wasn't sure what it was he was supposed to have done, but he _was _sure that it had not been him.

"It wasn't me..."

"Why did you do it, Sirius?" asked a painfully familiar voice.

Sirius looked up into the face of his late friend, Remus Lupin. But this Moony was different. He was older, with graying hair and lines on his face. He had not looked that way when he had died. "Moony...I didn't...it wasn't..."

"You betrayed them," Remus whispered, sadness mixed with bitterness in his voice.

"No!" Sirius said, desperate to have him believe him. "I swear...I didn't...I wouldn't..."

"You tried to shift the blame to me to protect yourself!" Remus said, suddenly harsh.

"No...no..." Sirius groped at the bars, trying vainly to free himself. "I didn't know, Moony...I thought...I thought you were..."

"Now, they're dead..." Remus continued. "And you did that...it's your fault!"

"NO!" Sirius fell upon his face. In the back of his mind he was screaming: _It's just a dream! Wake up! Wake up! _

"I hate you," said a new voice, younger than Moony's, but still oddly familiar. "I hate you."

Sirius lifted his head slightly. There was a boy standing at the bars, looking down at him with contempt and hatred. At first Sirius thought that it was James, but James did not have a pair of eyes that brilliant and green...

"You killed my parents."

"Harry?" Sirius asked, a strange feeling settling in his stomach. Is this what his godson would look like were he alive now? Is this the boy he would have grown into? So much like James...so much like Lily.

"You killed my mum and dad! They were your friends! How could you betray them?"

"No...I didn't...Harry...please..."

"You don't deserve to live!"

"Sirius Black," said a low, deep voice, and Harry was soon replaced by a large man, peering down at him with eyes that clearly said: _Your days are numbered, Black._

_Wake up! Wake up, Sirius, you idiot! It's not real! James and Lily are alive! You know this! It's not real! WAKE UP!_

"Kingsley..." Sirius pleaded, looking up at the dark man before him, foreboding coming like a cloud into his mind. "I swear...I didn't betray or kill anyone. James and Lily...they're not..."

"Dead," Kingsley said without emotion. "They're dead. There's no use denying it, Black. We know you did it. We know you're guilty. Now come on. The dementors are waiting..."

"No...I'm asleep...I didn't do it...This isn't real..."

"The aurors are waiting, Black. Wake up. We need you."

"I didn't do it..."

"Black!"

"I DIDN'T DO IT!"

Sirius shot up in bed, shaking and sweating. The fireplace in the corner of his room was crackling with green flames, and someone's head rested in it.

"Black! Are you crazy? Get up!"

"Kingsley?" Sirius asked, hopping out of bed and feeling like a grand fool. "What are you doing here?"

"I was sent to fetch you. Death Eaters are currently attacking the village of Sarehole. Come on and get ready."

"What time is it?" Sirius asked.

"Three thirty-two," Kingsley said promptly. "Now hurry up. We don't have time to waste. I'll see you in no less than seven minutes."

Kingsley's head disappeared and the fire died swiftly.

Sirius wasted no time in getting changed into his auror robes; they were light and tightly cut so that they would not get in the way when fighting. As he was heading down the stairs to get his wand, a voice stopped him.

"Where are you going?"

Sirius stopped, his heart pounding. He knew that voice; he had heard it in his dream. Turning around, he half-expected to see Harry standing there, glaring at him and accusing him of things he had never done, but it was only Apollo, standing in the doorway of his room, looking rather sleep-deprived.

"Auror business," Sirius said. "Nothing to worry about."

"Death Eaters?" Apollo asked.

Sirius sighed. "It's nothing to worry about." He repeated. "Go back to sleep."

"I wasn't asleep," Apollo said. Then he added: "I want to help."

"No," Sirius said forcefully. "Now go on, back to bed with you. I'll see you later on."

"Please, I want to help...I can't sleep anyway..."

"Best leave it to the professionals for now, lad," Sirius said understandingly, remembering all too well what it was like to be seventeen with a desire to help fight in the War.

"I've fought them before," Apollo insisted.

Suddenly, Sirius understood. Apollo wanted to avenge his parents' death.

"Apollo," Sirius said, as gently as he could while under pressure to get to Sarehole in time, "I can understand why you'd want to go, but...well, one day you'll get your chance. For now, just enjoy that fact that you don't have to go...I wish I could."

Sirius headed down the stairs. "I'll see you when I get back, all right?"

Sirius took Apollo's silence as a "yes".

* * *

Sirius Apparated right into the thick of things. The minute he arrived, he was forced to the ground by a hand on his back as a jet of green light flew over his head.

"That was far too close," a voice in his ear hissed. "You all right, Padfoot?"

Sirius turned his head around. "What are you doing here, Prongs?"

"What? You think only aurors such as yourself should have all the fun?" James asked, as the two of them ran close to the ground, heads bowed to their chests, aiming curses over their shoulders.

"Is Lily here?" Sirius asked above the chaos.

"No, she's with Leo at home. Most of the Order's here, though."

They ducked behind what appeared to be the remains of a stable, but the animals had long fled, and the structure was falling in on itself, slowly yet surely. From this vantage point, they were able to aim their spells better and protect themselves at the same time.

"It's not exactly like Lily," Sirius was saying, hexing any and all Death Eaters that he could see, "to stay at home and let you have all the 'fun', as you call it. Leo would be all right alone—_expelliarmus!_—wouldn't he?"

"No," James said, a worried-sounding edge rising in his throat. "Dumbledore told us that Voldemort's—_stupify!—_that Voldemort's been targeting the children of Order members and anyone else important again."

"He's always doing—_petrificus totallus!—_doing that," Sirius said.

"Yes, but just to be safe..."

Sirius didn't need him to say more; he understood what he meant perfectly.

There was suddenly a great creaking noise. What remained of the stable had just been hit with a curse, and it began to collapse in on itself.

"Fucking fuck!" Sirius cried, but his voice was lost amid the roar of the falling structure.

* * *

Lily stared distractedly into the fire, wondering. A twinge of fear, worry, and uselessness crept up and down her spine as she thought about just what was happening in Sarehole. She longed to help, yet she also knew that she couldn't just leave her son here by himself. She would _not_ lose Leo.

_Don't think about that night, Lily...don't think about it..._

"Mum?" said a sleepy voice.

Lily turned to see Leo standing there, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Where's dad gone? I heard him leave."

"He has some business to tend to," Lily said, forcing herself into casual tones. "Go back to bed, love."

Leo yawned widely. "What are you doing up?"

"Waiting for your father to come back home."

"Can I wait, too?"

"You can wait in your room with your eyes shut, lying on your bed. Now up you get."

Leo yawned again. "Fine...Good night...er...morning..."

Lily watched him shuffle back up the stairs, a smile playing on her lips. The moment she turned back to the fire however, it sprang to life, green flames licking the hearth as a head appeared in it.

"Bloody great mess we've got on our hands, Lily," Tonks was saying, her hair matching the color of the flames it was situated in.

"What's going on? What's happening?" Lily could hear Leo coming back into the room again, but was too anxious for news to reprimand him.

"The Death Eaters outnumber us three to—oh sorry, hang on—" Tonks paused, apparently listening to someone on her side of the fire. "Ah, thanks, mate." She looked back up at Lily. "We're outnumbered _five_ to one. We're going to need your help."

Lily gestured behind herself to where she knew her son was listening. "What about Leo? I can't just leave him."

"I'll be all right here on my own, mum," Leo said. "Or you could always take me with you..."

"NO," said Lily and Tonks at the same time.

"Couldn't you get someone to watch him?" Tonks said, impatiently, turning her head sideways to look at something or someone Lily couldn't see.

"Like who?" Lily demanded.

"Apollo could come over, couldn't he, mum?"

"Oh, I don't know..."

"Good idea, Leo," Tonks said, looking over at the red-headed boy. "We'll contact Apollo and have him come over." Tonks turned back to Lily. "We'll expect your presence as soon as Apollo gets to your house."

And before Lily could argue, Tonks's bright head disappeared and the fire died.

* * *

Harry sat on his bed, his glasses dangling off the end of his nose as he gazed out the window at the moon. He wondered how Remus was. He wondered how Ron and Hermione and all the Weasleys were. He wondered if they missed him.

There was a sudden whooshing sound coming from downstairs, and Harry, startled, stood up and made his way out into the hallway. Sirius couldn't be back this soon. Not unless something had happened...

"Oy! Apollo! Get down here!"

Harry recognized Tonks's voice, and he raced down the steps, three at a time and jumping the last five.

"What is it?" he asked, seeing her standing there on the hearth rug.

"I didn't know you wear glasses," Tonks said, forgetting for a moment the great import of her mission due to the boy's round spectacles. Glasses can be very distracting.

"Oh yeah," Harry said, realizing angrily that he had forgot to take them off. "It's just that I usually wear contacts..."

"You look nice in glasses," Tonks said appraisingly, looking him over.

"Er..."

"Oh! Listen to me! I'm an idiot!" Tonks slapped her forehead hard. "We have business to attend to and a tight schedule to keep. Apollo, are you up to babysitting?"

"What? When?"

"Now."

"Now?"

"Now."

"For whom?" Harry asked.

"Leo Potter."

"At this hour?" Harry frowned. "What's going on?"

"There's lots of goings-on over in Sarehole with the Death Eaters. Lily and James have to go help, and Leo shouldn't be left alone. Could you help?"

"Sure, I can't sleep anyway."

"Brilliant, now come on. No time to waste."

Tonks practically pushed Harry into the fireplace. "Go on."

Standing directly under the chimney, Harry took a handful of Floo Powder and threw it down upon the ashes, saying: "Godric's Hollow!"

Flashes of other fireplaces wavered in and out of sight as Harry spun quickly round within the Floo Network. He whirled so quickly that he couldn't breathe. He could feel ash and powder stinging his face like sand in a high wind.

And suddenly it stopped, and he came toppling out of the fireplace in a tangle of arms, legs, and robes.

Straightening, he brushed himself off just as Tonks followed him through the fireplace.

"Lily! Apollo's here!"

The green-eyed woman came bustling into the room, her son following at her heels.

"Apollo!" Leo said excitedly.

Lily looked down sternly at her son. "You are not to bother him, Leo. You're to go back up to bed. There's no need for you to be up."

Leo made a rude face at his mother's back as she turned to face Harry and Tonks.

"Thank you so much for coming on such short notice," she said. "You're a real lifesaver."

Harry laughed a bit at the irony of these words. "It's nothing, really."

Lily turned back around and pulled her son into a tight hug. "Be good for Apollo. Dad and I will be back when you wake up in the morning."

Harry heard Leo mumbled something to Lily, something meant only for his mother's ears, and he could only guess what it was.

Lily broke away from him and, much to Harry's surprise, pulled him into a hug as well.

"Look out for him, Apollo," Lily whispered. "Keep him safe."

Harry nodded, swallowing down his emotions at being touched so gently by his mother.

"I will."

"Come on, Lily," Tonks said. "We should go now."

"Right."

With one last look at Leo and Harry, Lily stepped into the fireplace after Tonks and was swept away from Godric's Hollow.

There was a moment where neither boy moved, eyes locked onto the dying green flames, wondering what it was that Lily and Tonks had arrived to meet. Then, Harry tore his eyes away and looked down at his young charge.

"I didn't know you that wear glasses."

Harry sighed. "Yes, I do."

There was another beat of silence, then...

"Come on, Leo, you heard your mum. Back up to bed."

Leo looked uncertainly at the staircase in the hall, is if to walk up it would be suicide.

"Could I, er, stay here with you, Apollo?"

Harry could see that the boy was scared, though he would never have admitted so.

He sighed. "Of course."

Grinning, Leo curled himself up on a long couch. Harry went over and sat beside him.

There was silence again, though this time it lasted for quite a while. Eventually, Harry looked back down at Leo, wondering if he had fallen asleep, only to be met with a pair of hazel eyes staring back at him.

"Do you think that they'll be all right? They've been gone an awful long time."

"They'll be fine," Harry said in his most consoling voice. He had never had much practice with comforting others, as it was he who was usually the recipient of all the comforting, and he didn't seem to be succeeding with making Leo feel better.

"I'm not really worried about my mum, you know," Leo said, curling tighter into a ball. "She's safe, if you know what I mean. She's careful. She knows how to take care of herself. But dad...well, he only knows how to take care of others. He'll end up doing something dangerous to help someone and..."

"Nothing's going to happen to dad—_your _dad."

Leo was quiet again, thinking over whatever it was that was going through his young mind.

"How did it happen?"

The question caught Harry a bit off guard. "What's that?"

"How did, you know, how did your mum and dad die?"

"Death Eaters," Harry said.

"I know that. I mean..._how exactly_. What was the spell that was used and stuff like that? If you don't mind me asking..."

"The Killing Curse," Harry said. He hoped Leo wouldn't question the issue further. He didn't feel like making up stories that night.

"Do you miss them?"

"Listen, Leo," Harry said, squirming slightly upon the couch. "This isn't the best time to discuss this. I think you should try and get some sleep."

"I'm not tired," protested the youth. "I want to wait for mum and dad."

"You know, if you go to sleep, the next thing you'll know is waking up to find that your mum and dad are home safe and sound. Sleep makes things go faster."

Leo seemed to consider this for a moment. "Right," he said with a sigh. "But you'll wake me up when they come home?"

"Yes," Harry said.

"Promise you're not just saying that to make me go to sleep?"

"I promise."

* * *

Lily clambered out of the fireplace, and found herself in an old, rundown house that was currently set up as the Ministry/Order Front against Voldemort's army. Everywhere lying about there were injured wizards and witches being tended to by healers and others. People were running back and forth, sending messages, carrying out orders, rushing in and out the door to either join the fight or escape it.

Lily swept back her dark red hair, and pulled out her wand, preparing to go out and face the enemy, when a voice called to her from a corner of the room. She turned around immediately and started towards it even before she could see where the voice was coming from. She knew whose voice it was though.

Sirius sat in a far corner of the room, nursing a broken arm, but he stood as Lily came towards him, putting on a brave face.

"Are you all right, Sirius?"

"Never better," Sirius said, "though my poor arm's seen better days. But not to worry. The healers can patch it up in a zip."

"Where's James?" Lily asked anxiously. If anyone was to know where her husband was, Sirius would know.

The dark-haired man's face dropped a bit as he nodded to the corner. "That git you call a husband went and got himself knocked senseless with a wooden beam." It was obvious Sirius was trying to make the situation as light as he possibly could.

Lily pushed by him and raced over to her husband, who was propped up against a wall, looking rather dazed. A healer was kneeling beside him, probing his messy head with a wand.

"How is he?" Lily asked, practically falling to the ground beside James.

"Hmm..." The healer ceased her probing and looked up at Lily. "He's a bit out of it. Slight concussion, but he'll be fine. Quite lucky, actually, when compared to some of our other casualties."

"Lucy! Come over here a minute! Dawson's bleeding again..."

"Excuse me," the healer said, standing and making her way over to a man who was laying frighteningly still upon the floor of the old house.

Lily turned her attention back over to James who was slouched up against the wall, looking very pale, his eyes darting about confusedly.

"James love," Lily whispered, leaning close to him. "James? Can you hear me?"

James turned his head slightly, eyes trying hard to focus on the woman before him. "Lily?"

Lily breathed a tremendous sigh of relief. "Are you all right? How do you feel?"

"Like my head's not attached to my shoulders..." He shut his eyes tightly and opened them again, trying to clear the fog from in front of them. "Can't see a bloody thing. Where the fuck are my glasses?"

"On your face, dear," Lily said, giving him a small, apologetic smile that he probably couldn't see anyway.

"Blimey, so they are..."

Sirius leaned down over Lily's shoulder, shaking his head at James. "Oh sure, Prongs, you'll talk to _her_, but what do I get after I pull you out from the wreckage of a collapsed barn? A broken arm and not even a thank you. Shame on you. _Shame_."

"What's he going on about?" James asked, squinting in Sirius's general direction. "Can't make out a word he's saying..."

"He's saying how he's jealous that I'm giving you all my attention, and him and his broken arm aren't getting any," Lily said, quite accurately.

"My arm needs love, too, you know," Sirius pouted.

"It's true, it does need love," James said, shutting his eyes and leaning his head up against the wall. "Just don't have an affair with it..."

"Be quite James, you're not making sense," Lily chastised lightly.

"Can't help it...sorry...nothing feels real right now..."

Sirius shot Lily an unreadable glance. He looked like he was going to say something, but before he could get the words out, there was a loud explosion coming from outside, followed by screams and shouts and other disturbing sounds that haunt the darkest corners of one's nightmares.

Whatever it was that had exploded began to shoot through the windows of the old house, and Lily gave into that primitive instinct that told her to squeeze her eyes shut and scream.

She felt something fall on her, and she fell forward onto something else, sandwiched helplessly in between. All the lights in the house burst and went out, plunging everyone into the predawn dimness. She could hear people around her shouting, but their words were lost to her frightened mind.

Eventually things began to quiet, and she could hear voices lighting their wands. She guessed that whatever it was that was on top of her was a man because she could hear him whispering in her ear: "All right, there?"

"Yeah," she replied, shakily. She turned her head to the side and saw two grey eyes looking at her, their faces practically touching.

"Sirius, get your nose out of my mouth," muttered Lily, struggling to move, but finding that Sirius had got her pretty well trapped beneath him.

"Would if I could, believe me," Sirius said, "but the roof decided to come down and meet my arse, and now the two are getting better acquainted. I don't feel it's right to break up a first date."

"Sirius, I think we're killing James," Lily said, who figured that that was who was stuck underneath her.

"Dammit," Sirius said, trying to wriggle free from the roof or wall or whatever it was that had fell on him.

"James," Lily said, moving her arms to try and feel if it was James beneath her. "James?"

"Mmmm," mumbled a voice coming from the body under her.

"Is he okay?" Sirius asked, still trying vainly to remove himself from the wreckage.

"Are you okay?" Lily asked James.

"Mmm ammiht shtuhk..."

"What?" Lily said sharply. "I can't understand you."

She could feel James moving his head to the side so that he could better articulate his words instead of having his face pressed against the floor.

"I said: I'm a bit stuck."

"Join the club," Sirius muttered, finally giving up on trying to get free.

"What do we do now?" Lily asked.

"The only thing we can do: HELP!" Sirius yelped, and Lily and James joined in with his pleas for aid.

"I hear you, calm down," said a voice from above them. "We'll get you out."

With a great deal of grunting heard from who it was that was rescuing them, a weight was literally lifted off their shoulders and they were freed from the imprisoning plaster.

Kingsley, the Prewett brothers, and Ryan Moray stood above them, and helped them to clamber off one another.

"What were you lot doing down there anyway?" Moray asked, a wicked glint in his eye. "Threesome?"

"Of course," Sirius said, brushing himself off with his good arm. "What else would we be doing here in Sarehole at four in the morning while being attacked by Death Eaters?"

"Well, I prefer orgies meself, but each to his own, I s'pose..."

"So good of you all to take this situation seriously," Lily said, doing her best to hold her swaying husband steady. She looked about at all the damages that had been done and gasped. There was a great gaping hole where the front of the house had once been, and the most of the roof had fallen in. Also, the numbered of injured had risen to include even a few of the healers.

"Twice in one night," Sirius was saying, rubbing his bad arm morosely. "If one more house or stable or whatever decides to fall on my head..."

"What caused this?" Lily asked, turning to Kingsley.

"A curse of some sort," he answered in that powerful voice that kept all who listened captivated. "A very powerful one. It was meant to demolish our front." He gestured around at the abandoned, and now destroyed, house. "And it did."

"All the Muggles are sure to come out now," Gideon Prewett said, running his hands through his hair and looking restless.

"We have barriers in place to deter them from coming over here," Moray informed him. "And we have a good many wizards prowling around the Muggle areas, making sure no harm is to come to them."

"The barriers will have to be reinstated soon," Kingsley said. "We thought this skirmish would be over and done by now."

"You call this a skirmish?" Lily asked incredulously.

"I've seen worse," Kingsley said shortly. "Now come on, there's work to be done."

Sirius helped Lily with setting James down by one of the remaining walls. When she had seen to it that he would be fine, she stood again, and began to head out towards where the fighting was still raging on with full force.

"What are you doing, Lily?" Sirius asked, staring after her.

"What I came to do," she answered curtly. "Fight."

"I'll go with you," Sirius said, and he made to move towards her, but she stopped him.

"With that arm? No. You stay here with James."

"You shouldn't go out there alone," argued Sirius. He closed the gap between them with three quick, long strides, and clamped his good hand over her wrist. "What if something was to happen to you?"

"Don't patronize me, Sirius," Lily warned, green eyes flashing. She wrenched her wrist free from his grasp and met his gaze unwaveringly. "I'm a big girl now. I can take care of myself."

"But—"

"You can't stop me, Sirius, so don't even try." She whirled about, red hair slapping Sirius lightly in the face.

"Just...just be careful then," he said, watching her retreating figure before he returned to James by the wall.

* * *

All right everyone, altogether now: CLIFFHANGER! Dun dun dun dun DUN!!!

Ahem, so about them Red Sox...

I would have posted this one sooner if it wasn't for the fact that my life (yes, I do have one...no really...) kept getting in the way. Stupid life.

Stupid Red Sox. Stupid Pedro "Gives-Boston-False-Hope" Martinez. And those damn Yankees! Who's your daddy my ass!

Anyway, next chapter will be up next week.

Hope you liked this part!

Love always,

Enny

(Goes to prepare self for game three and the inevitable Yankee victory.)


	9. Someone at the Door

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling rules the Wizarding World. I am but one of her minions with illusions of grandeur.

**Rating: **PG-13, for violence, language, and angst

**Genre: **NO SLASH; Adventure/Action/Angst; not really a romance, though I tend to hint at Ron/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, Ginny/Neville, and there are quite a few James/Lily moments.

**Spoilers: **PS/SS, CoS, PoA, GoF, and OotP.

**Summary: **Order/Ministry vs. Death Eaters: Round Two. We also get a firsthand glance into the psyche of our favorite DADA professor.

**Dedication: **To Miles (1985-2004) I miss you. Rest in peace, my friend.

**Author's Note: **I'm sorry this chapter took so long to get out, but the past couple of weeks have been rather hectic. Between midterms (boo), the Red Sox winning the Pennant **_and _**the World Series (YAY!), going away to New York to visit my friend (good times), election madness (O! the madness!), and three funerals (yes, three) I've been a tad busy. That, and the fact that I had to rewrite this chapter four times. Also I'm in an odd mood...perhaps it's because my sister forced me to watch "The Exorcist" three times in the past two weeks. Gah! One can only take so much. Anyway, as always, thank you to my marvelous reviewers, especially those who IM-ed/e-mailed me and begged me to update. You know who you are.

**Miss Us Padfoot:** troubles...I hear you, mate. As for James and Lily finding out about Apollo...you're just going to have to wait and see. Thank you!

**Yuna31:** Bonjour, mon amie! Vraiment le "plot thickens"... Ton review me fait rire! Oui, Apollo et Leo ensemble sont trop adorable. Et Snape va venir dans le prochain chapitre, peut-être? Merci! Je t'aime!

**Larna Mandrea:** I haven't blushed this much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my earmuffs. Thanks SO much!

**girlknight:** I'm not very surprised that you love Hockey, being a Canadian and all. I like Hockey fine. My dad loves it. He used to play goalie, and has many scars to prove it. But yes, Baseball is my favorite, and the RED SOX WON! I almost died of happiness. I think life in Canada sounds fascinating! Bags of socks are ALSO fascinating. Some of my ancestors were Canadian, so maybe that's why I like the Great Maple Leaf Country so much, even though I've never been there myself. Barnacle Bob, eh? Too funny. You Canadians and your Cheese Wagons. You're all CrAzY! And I love it! Thank you for brightening up my day!

**phoebe666:** Thank you! Here's an update for you!

**minnie-mae:** I agree. I dislike predictable stories, as well. I am glad you like mine! Thank you!

**colon:** Then you should see the letters that I write to my friends. They are filled with "..." and things like that. But you are right. Ah well. I will just have to go back and fix that someday. Thank you!

**heyo:** Yes, about that Sirius dream...how DID he dream about the other Sirius? Curious...and things are about to get a whole lot more curious. And about letting everyone see how much Harry looks like James...well, I hope this chapter will make you happy.

**skittles-07:** Wow indeed. Thank you!

**siriuslyhot!!!:** Thank you very much, mate!

**Bekah:** I'm sorry for the evil cliffie. Really, I am...okay, maybe I enjoy torturing people...but just a little bit! Thank you!

**gaul1:** Hello there! Thank you for reviewing!

**eclipse:** (Hangs head in shame) I'm sorry. I am a very evil person. I will never do it again. Okay, so maybe I will...Thank you!

**NoAlias:** Really now, does _anyone_ (besides New Yorkers) like the Yankees? No. Well, it doesn't matter now because the RED SOX WON! WOOT! I am incredibly over-excited about this. I have been in far too many riots this past week...hehe...I'm sorry about the Indians. Any team who shuts down the Yankees 22-0 is awesome. I'm glad you liked my vivid swears. I try. Also, people are going to start noticing a lot more about "Apollo" than just his eyes...Thank you very much!

**FullMoon-Witch:** Thank you so much, my friend!

**Lachwen:** Thanks very much!

**becus:** Oh, please don't go insane! I'm very glad you love my little fic. As for Sirius figuring out who Harry is...well...just read and see. Thank you!

**scotgirl:** I'm sorry I kept you in suspense! I hope this chapter will make up for it. Thank you so much!

**preoperative:** Thank you for your excellent review! (Did you really think that Harry could stay away from fighting? Lol)

**MuShU gIrL:** Do I know any "Alternate Dimension" stories? Yes, a few. "A Second Chance" is a very good one that I'd highly recommend. You can check out my favorites page for more. Thank you for reviewing!

**happy yaoi lover2:** Wow! You drew me a cute smiley face! Thanks so much!

**william488:** Thank you so much! I hope you keep reading!

**Romm:** LOL! I was VERY happy about the turn around! There is nothing more satisfying than watching Jeter, Matsui, and A-Rod choke up. Nothing. Anyhoo, about those riots...good times...until the police showed up. Why must they ruin all my fun? Thank you for your review!

**NephyRiddle:** Thank you! And thanks also for adding me to your favorites list!

**Shrimp5391:** I know, damn those cliffies. Ah well...here's the next part! Thanks!

**DaBear:** Thanks for reviewing!

**Abluebird225:** Thank you so very much! I try very hard to make everything believable. You should see me when I'm writing: I'm constantly banging my head on the keyboard, yelling at the fictional characters to be more realistic. Yes, I am considering therapy. (By the way, I love the title of your C2, very clever! And thank you for adding my humble little fic to it!) Thanks again!

**Night-Owl123:** Actually, I think it's been almost a month. Lol, I know, I'm a slacker. Feel free to kick my ass into gear if ever I fail to update again. Thank you!

**shina-schatten:** Thank you so much! I am greatly humbled that you consider this "one of the real good ones". Thank you again!

**kyLaaa:** Aha! How 'bout them dream/visions? Well, you'll see. There'll be some more (sort of) in this chapter. Hehe, I know, I am evil, but you just so happened to review just before I updated, so lucky you! Thank you for reviewing!

**Chapter Eight:**

**Someone at the Door**

"_Oh, somewhere deep inside of these bones,_

_An emptiness began to grow_

_There's something out there, far from my home_

_A longing that I've never known."_

—_Jack from "The Nightmare Before Christmas"_

Harry had long ago fallen into a trance-like state, the fire's rhythmic crackling and Leo's slow breathing calming his restless mind. He was vaguely aware of the sun rising outside the window, casting a red glow about the land. He wondered at the sting in his eyes before he realized that he hadn't blinked in an hour.

"Harry."

Harry jumped, yet somehow Leo managed to remain sleeping. He looked about himself wildly. Who had called his name? There didn't appear to be anyone in the room with him. And then his eyes fell upon the fireplace.

Dumbledore stood there, brushing his violet robes off as he stepped out onto the hearth.

"Professor..." Harry began, standing and moving towards the old wizard.

"Is Leo asleep?" Dumbledore said. His tone was brisk and to the point. It was obvious he was in a hurry.

"Er...yes..." Harry said, glancing behind himself.

"Wake him quickly."

Harry didn't question what he had been told, and walked over to the boy, who was curled up like a cat on the couch.

"Leo..." Harry gave his shoulders a gentle shake.

Leo opened one blurry, hazel eye and looked up at Harry. He immediately sat up. "Is mum back? And dad?"

"No," Harry said, "it's Professor Dumbledore."

Leo immediately became nervous. He looked over at the old wizard. "Professor...my parents...where...?"

Dumbledore held up a long-fingered hand. "I'm not hear to bring news of you family, Leo. In truth, I know nothing about how they, or anyone else for that matter, are at the moment. I am here to bring you to the Weasleys."

"Why?" Leo asked.

"Because someone needs to watch you."

"Apollo is—"

"Apollo needs to come with me," Dumbledore said.

Harry looked over at him. "What? Where, sir?"

Dumbledore didn't answer, but instead ushered the two younger wizards towards the fireplace. He nodded for Leo to go into it, and the boy did so, looking confused, eyes still full of sleep.

Dumbledore handed him the bowl of Floo Powder, and Leo took a handful of the dust. "Where do the Weasleys live again?"

"Just say 'the Burrow'," Dumbledore replied. "Go on now, quickly."

With one last bewildered look at Harry, Leo shouted: "The Burrow!" and flung the powder down onto the burnt logs beneath his feet.

Green flames shot up and engulfed Leo. When they died, the boy had gone.

Dumbledore turned to Harry then, face much graver than it usually was. Harry guessed where they were going before the older wizard said.

"You want me to help fight."

Dumbledore nodded. "It's against my better judgment, for you are still in school and to place such an important figure as yourself in harm's way seems foolish, but I also believe that you can take care of yourself. Besides, we have little choice in the matter."

Harry felt a cold dread rising in his stomach. "What is happening in Sarehole, sir?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "I've not yet been there, so I cannot tell you first hand, but I've heard that we are losing. There are just too many Death Eaters. More than we calculated."

"What can I do?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore's clear blue eyes stared hard into Harry's green ones. "You have a power in you, Harry. I don't know exactly what it is yet, but the more you use your known powers, the more chances that the unknown will show itself." Harry had no idea what Dumbledore was speaking of, but he nodded his head anyway.

"Why haven't you been there yet to help, sir?" Harry asked suddenly. He thought that Dumbledore would have been first on the scene to help out the Order against the Death Eaters.

"Alas," Dumbledore said, "my presence would perhaps cause more harm than good. You see, Harry, my being there and fighting alongside the Order would give the Death Eaters little chance to fight back. Therefore, Voldemort would be forced to join the fight also, to aid his hordes. With Voldemort there, things would only turn uglier. I had planned on staying out of the battle in Sarehole, but things are getting out of hand. I fear that when I arrive, Voldemort will also come." He looked at Harry. "Do you understand?"

Harry nodded.

"If in the case Voldemort _does_ arrive, I want you to make sure that your identity is kept hidden from him. We cannot afford to let him know who you truly are. In fact, Harry, I think it best that you try to avoid him at all costs. Your time to confront Voldemort will come, but it will not be today.

"And now, we must go."

Harry climbed into the fireplace, taking a handful of Floo Powder with him. Dumbledore nodded to him, and Harry said, as clearly as he could: "Sarehole!"

The green flames licked gently at his face and hands as he spun around and around, watching grate after grate fly before him, before he finally stopped and stumbled out onto a hearth.

The hearth that he stood upon was practically all that was left of the house that at one time had stood here. The front half of it had been blown apart and the roof had collapsed. Everywhere people were screaming or moaning or running about like it was the apocalypse.

It was hard for Harry to believe that less than five minutes ago he had been sitting on a couch in Godric's Hollow, wondering about what was happening, while Leo slept beside him. Everything seemed to be happening so fast. But he supposed that that was how war was: quick-paced and sudden, leaving no room for thoughts that held less importance than survival.

Dumbledore appeared in the grate behind him, and immediately set off towards what had once been the front of the house. Harry, having never been in a situation like this and not knowing what to do, followed.

He had only gone a few paces when Dumbledore turned and stopped him. "I do not want you to follow me, Harry," he said. "Where I am will things be the most dangerous, the most deadly. I want you to stay far away from where I am. And be very careful. Do not choose to battle with the real important Death Eaters such as Lucius Malfoy and the Lestranges, if you can help it. Stay close to aurors and other members of the Order. They will help you if you need it."

With that, Dumbledore turned and hurried away. And Harry, obeying the old headmaster, ran in the other direction.

* * *

Remus lay on his bed, his knees bent towards the ceiling, resting paperwork for the Order on them. He reread the same sentence for the fifth time, without realizing what it said.

_All plans of action shall be carried out with, first, a preparatory meeting._

Remus wondered if any of this was really worth it. Any of the fighting. They weren't going to win without Dumbledore. They _definitely_ weren't going to win without Harry.

_All plans of action..._

But he had to fight. It was his duty. He would not give up on what he believed in just because the going got tough.

..._shall be carried out..._

Tough indeed it was going. They were losing allies. They were losing friends. They were losing.

..._with, first, a preparatory meeting._

Remus wondered how easy it would be to escape the United Kingdom like so many had been doing. Just runaway. Make a new life. Take a new name. Pretend you never heard of Voldemort or Dumbledore or Harry Potter...

_All plans..._

But then he remembered Harry, and everything that James and Lily had lived and died for. They had had everything in the world to lose, and did they runaway? No! They had stood bravely and fought.

..._of action..._

Thinking of Harry also made Remus think of Sirius. Sirius had risked not only his life, but his freedom, to save his godson. How could Remus even _consider _leaving when his friends had been so brave and selfless?

..._shall be..._

Ah, but not all his friends had been brave and selfless. Would he be like Peter and save his own skin, not caring about the others he hurt, the others he would sacrifice? And what about when (or if) Harry came back from this secret mission of his? Would he return to find that his former professor had runaway in despair and cowardice? Did he want Harry to think of him that way? Harry, who at this very moment was probably risking his life for all of them, would come home to discover that Remus Lupin had been afraid to stand and fight?

..._of action shall be carried out..._

Thoughts of Harry sealed his determination that had been wavering on and off all summer. Harry would come through for them. Harry would find away. And he, Remus, would be anxiously awaiting his return, ready to help him in whatever way he could. He would make sure that Harry would not come home to find everyone he loved had gone.

..._carried out..._

And he _would _come home, God damn it.

..._preparatory meeting._

Remus sighed, the quiet in his room at Grimmauld Place making it easy to dwell on unpleasant thoughts...not that he had any other type of thoughts as of late.

..._preparatory..._

He let his knees drop back down onto the mattress. He grimaced as he straightened them. Either he was getting old or he had been holding them in that position for far longer than he realized. He picked up the papers and tried one more time to read.

_All plans of..._

The words swam before his eyes. He glanced over at his bedside table to see how late it was. It was only eight-thirty in the evening. Perhaps he just needed glasses. But glasses reminded him too much of Harry, and he returned back to the Order papers, forcing all other thoughts out of his mind.

_All insipid plans of bloody action must be fucked with..._

He snorted in annoyance. God, he was tired.

_Preparatory plans of action must be planned with..._

Wait. That didn't make sense. Had he read that right?

But before he could once more return to his attempted reading, there was a knock at his door.

"Come in," he said in a hoarse voice.

But no one did.

He paused, staring at the door in curiosity. He could hear someone standing on the other side; he could see their shadow beneath the door.

"Er...door's unlocked. Come in."

Still, the person in the hall outside didn't move.

"Who's there?"

"Don't know," said a voice that must have come from whoever it was that was standing there.

Remus stiffened. What kind of answer was that? Perhaps it was the twins come to mess with the mind of their former professor. Well, Remus would have none of that.

He stood up, feeling ruffled and in a mood to take out his frustration on someone other than his left thumbnail.

He was about to put his hand on the doorknob, when the person spoke again, sending chills down his spine.

"Don't open the door."

The voice was oddly familiar. He knew that voice. He _knew _that he knew that voice.

How did he know that voice?

"Who are you? Fred? George? I'm a titch busy at the moment..."

"I don't know who you're talking about."

Remus paused for a moment. He knew that the voice did not belong to either of the twins, not unless they had somehow discovered a way to alter their vocal cords.

"Then who are you?"

"Don't know."

Remus gave an audible sigh, but only so that he could calm the tenseness in his muscles. He was beginning to feel rather frightened, and foolishly so. Why didn't he just open the door and see who it was and send them away?

"Don't open the door," the voice said again, as though it could read his mind.

"Well," Remus said, trying to sound reasonable in a very strange situation, "since you don't know who you are, let me see you and tell you. Your voice is familiar to me. I know that I know you from somewhere."

"We have not met before."

The lupine instincts that were always with Remus were prickling with fear and nervousness. Who the hell was the person?

"What do you want?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know much of anything, do you?" Remus tried to keep the quaver out of his voice. The hopes that the twins were going to swing open the door and have a good laugh at pranking him were swiftly dying.

"I know that I am here."

"Well that's good, isn't it? And I suppose that you know how to count as well?"

"I know that _you_ are here."

"I've had enough of this."

"I just don't know _why _I am here."

"What a coincidence, neither do I."

"I don't know why you are here either."

"This is getting ridiculous." Remus said. He put his hand on the doorknob, but a wave of electricity seemed to jolt through his palm, and he let go of the door with a small cry of pain.

"I can't let you see me."

Remus was angry and scared. "Why?"

"I don't know."

Remus let out an irritated noise, more like a snarl than anything else.

"You are a werewolf."

"So?" snapped Remus.

"I think I once knew a werewolf."

"Good. I don't care."

"It wasn't you, though."

"Go away."

"Can't."

"Why? No, wait. Let me guess. You don't know why."

Suddenly the voice made a noise halfway between a sob and a laugh.

"Help me."

"How the hell am I supposed to do that?"

"I don't—"

"Know. You don't know. Sorry I asked."

"What is your name?"

"Remus Lupin. Now will you please let me out of my room? Perhaps I can find someone to help you."

"No one can see me," the voice said softly. "I don't know why," he added before Remus could ask.

"Wonderful. I think I've actually gone mad."

"What was your name again?"

"I've just told you. Remus Lupin."

There was a pause. Then,

"I once knew a Remus Lupin, I think. Not you, though. It couldn't have been you."

"Remus Lupin isn't a very common name, you know. Or perhaps you don't know?"

It sounded as though the voice were suddenly crying. "Please help me."

Remus was feeling rather absurd. There he was, having a conversation with someone who didn't know anything, while an impenetrable door stood between them.

"Listen, whoever you are, I wish I could help you..."

"Please."

"I can't."

"You have to."

"I don't know how to help you."

"Don't be silly, Remus, of course you know how to help me. You were the Defense teacher at Hogwarts. I'd think that you of all people would know how to banish a boggart."

Remus shot up into a sitting position. Molly Weasley was standing in the doorway to his room, looking at him in an almost amused way.

"I'm sorry, Molly," Remus said, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "Did you say something about a boggart?"

"Yes. There's one in the third floor cupboard. It's been banging around quite a bit. I was wondering if you could help me with it."

"Oh, yes, of course."

Remus got up, still feeling rather shaken from his dream, or nightmare rather, and followed Molly out into the hallway.

Remus was glad that it had just been a dream, but he couldn't help notice that his right palm was a shade redder than it should have been, as though it had been burnt.

* * *

Harry was at a loss at what to do. He had fought Death Eaters before and was skilled in Defense Against the Dark Arts enough to know how to duel properly, but he had never been in a full-out battle before. The closest he'd ever gotten to a real one was the one at the Ministry of Magic over a year ago.

He ducked down behind a bush, planning what he was to do next. It was hard to discern which Death Eater would be the best one to take on. They all seemed to be well-trained in the Dark Arts.

And then suddenly a brown, bushy-haired girl caught in his peripheral vision. Harry's jaw dropped so far that he could almost taste the dirt beneath him.

The girl was skidding along small trees and shrubs, wand held tightly in front of her. Harry could barely bring himself to comprehend what he was seeing. What on earth was_ she _doing there?

"_Hermione?" _Harry exclaimed before he could stop himself.

She was standing a few yards away, and hadn't seemed to see him until he spoke. She looked around at him, brow furrowed, wand pointing defensively at his heart, as though he may attack her.

"What the _hell _are you doing here, Hermione?"

Hermione frowned harder. "Who are you? How do you know my name?"

"Er..." _Oh great going, Potter. Now what do you tell her? _"I...er...know Ron...and he's...er...shown me pictures of you..."

"Ron Weasley? Why would he have pictures of _me_?"

Harry was a bit taken aback by this statement. "Aren't you...er...friends?"

Hermione managed a snort of mirthless laughter despite the chaos that was going on about them. "No. He's a great ugly git."

"Oh...er..."

"_Stupify_!" shouted a nearby voice. The spell hit Hermione in the chest and she doubled over.

Harry shot up from where he was hiding and aimed a spell at the Death Eater who had attacked them.

The Death Eater fell down, mask slipping off his face to reveal an ugly, thin-faced man. Harry paid him no mind though, as he raced over to Hermione.

"Are you all right?" he asked, after reviving her.

"Yes," she gasped, looking up at him. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Come on, let's get out of here."

They raced along the edge of the battle, ducking and dodging spells. They finally reached a low outcropping in which they were able to hide for the time being, until they could better coordinate themselves.

"Why are you here?" Harry asked, as they lay low, catching their breath.

"I live nearby," Hermione said, nodding behind her. "In Birmingham. I saw the battle from where I lived. At first I didn't know what it was, but when I saw that none of the Muggles noticed it, I realized that it must be something to do with magic. So I came up here to see if I could help." She looked over at him. "Are you an auror?"

"What? No, I'm not even out of school yet."

"Hogwarts?"

"Yeah."

"What year?"

"I'm going into my seventh."

Hermione cocked an eye at him. "Really? What house?"

Harry was about to say "Gryffindor", but as he was not officially sorted into a house in this world, he said instead: "I dunno yet. I'm new, you see. Haven't been sorted."

"Oh," Hermione said. "I'm a seventh year, too."

"I know," Harry said, and then mentally kicked himself for doing so.

Hermione smiled though. "I guess Weasley's told you a lot about me then, eh?"

"Er...yeah..." Suddenly he gave her a suspicious look. "So, your parents just let you come up here?" If Hermione's parents in this world were anything like the ones in his world, they would hardly let their only child going skipping off into a battle.

"Well," Hermione looked a bit sheepish, "I didn't exactly ask permission, you know. I went before they got up this morning and left them a note saying that I had gone shopping—"

A flash of white light flew past them then, grazing Harry's shoulder. Harry hissed, laying his hand over the burn that the spell had left on his robes.

Another spell came whizzing towards them, but this time Harry was ready. He leapt to the side, pushing Hermione down as he pressed himself against the dewy ground. He could feel Hermione's heartbeat echoing in his ear, her breath coming in with quick gulps.

"I have a feeling that I'm going to owe you a whole lot by the time this day's over."

"Let's just get through the day first before we worry about that," Harry answered, sitting up again. He looked about carefully. There were three Death Eaters standing close to where they were he and Hermione were taking cover. Fighting them were two women that Harry immediately recognized as Alice Longbottom and Lily.

"Come on," Harry said, taking Hermione's hand. "We've got to help them."

They ran out from their hiding spot, wands held at the ready.

* * *

Somehow, Lily had found herself separated from the rest of the Order. She was now on the outskirts of the battle, searching desperately for a friendly face while trying to hold back the Death Eaters that seemed determined to attack her and only her.

She was relieved beyond words when Alice came up alongside her, round face shining with sweat.

"Need a hand?"

"I could kiss you, Alice," Lily said.

"You'd best not," the auror replied, dodging a hex and sending one of her own. "Both Frank and James would get jealous."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Men."

Three Death Eaters were encircling them, but luckily for the two women, they were rather thick-headed. It seemed the further you were from the center of the fight, the less intelligent Voldemort's servants became.

Lily raised her wand above her head, taking aim at one of the Death Eaters, when he suddenly went rigid, promptly falling forward onto his face. Lily could not help but stare at who it was that stood behind her fallen enemy.

"_Apollo!"_

The girl that was with him shouted a spell at one of the other Death Eaters, who went down quickly, just like his colleague.

The remaining one looked about at the wizard and three witches that now surrounded him and, panicking, tried to Apparate, managing only to get himself splinched. A masked head fell with a dull thud onto the wet grass, the body know where to be found.

Lily had a moment of indecision about whether or not to help him, but realized quickly that she had no idea how, since she didn't know where the rest of the body had gone.

A scream from far off answered that question for her.

Lily looked at the others. "Alice, take his head."

Alice grimaced but did as she was told, holding it out in front of herself as though it were a terrible plague.

"Now," Lily said, turning to face Apollo, her green eyes narrowed, "_what are you doing here?_"

"Dumbledore asked me to come," Apollo said quickly.

"Dumbledore?" The girl asked sharply, but the others ignored her.

"And what about Leo?" Lily asked shrilly, a million and one terrible scenarios of Things-That-Could-Happen-To-Leo running through her mind.

"He's safe," Apollo hastened to reassure. "He's at the Weasleys."

"Ugh...Lily," Alice was saying, voice full of disgust as she continued to hold the Death Eater's head as far away from her as she could, "could we _please _find the body now?"

"You sure he's safe?" Lily asked, feeling as though her entire existence depended upon a positive answer.

"Yes," Apollo said. "Dumbledore sent him there himself."

"_Lily! It's DROOLING on me!"_

"Oh, Merlin," Lily said, looking around at the chaos about her and trying her best to think clearly as a thousand worries crammed her skull. "Right, let's go, Alice. You two," she added, pointing at Apollo and the girl, "you come with us. Stay close and don't do anything stupid."

* * *

"Padfoot...what are you doing?"

Sirius's face was mere inches from James's as he examined his friend's wounded head.

"Attempting to snog you senseless, what else?"

"I'm not in a snogging mood exactly."

"Don't be such a prat," Sirius scolded lightly. "I'm checking to make sure you're not going to die. Besides, you're far too dirty at the moment to be snogged."

"I always thought dirty was kind of sexy though."

"Prongs."

"Yes?"

"Do you want another concussion?"

James shook his head, which only served to make him feel dizzier. "Ugh," he said.

"Ugh," Sirius agreed, patting James on the shoulder. "Now be a good patient and sit still."

"Since when did you become a healer?" James said, grimacing as Sirius prodded his head.

"They taught us some healing techniques in auror training," Sirius said absently, continuing his search for God-Knows-What in James's hair.

"I still don't understand how a great wanker like _you _became an auror."

"Skill, Prongs, skill...Did you just call me a wanker?"

"Did I? Hmm...perhaps I did."

"You're lucky you're injured, that's all I can say."

"Wait, are you saying that I'm lucky I'm injured because if I weren't, you'd injure me?"

"Spot on, James."

"Your logic defies reason."

"As does your hair," Sirius said, leaning back and regarding James's mop with a bemused face. "Honestly, how do you live with it?"

"Well I'm sorry that we can't all be perfect gods like you."

"Tragic, isn't it?"

Sirius scooted up beside James where he sat against the remaining wall. Before their eyes the battle raged and all around them the cries of the dying echoed in their minds. Somewhere out there in the field beyond the ruined shack Sirius knew that a red-haired woman was fighting. He just hoped that she was not alone.

And then the memory flooded back to him: the memory of the dream he had had. He had almost forgotten about it, what with all the confusion and terror about him. Yet now it came back easily to him, and he felt the need to share what he had seen with someone.

"James?"

"Hmm?"

"A couple of hours ago, before I got here..."

A scream pierced the air. It was a woman.

Sirius immediately thought of Lily and how James would never forgive himself if something happened to her.

"I'll be right back, Prongs," he said, leaping to his feet and running, bad arm or not, towards the origin of the scream.

"Where are you going?" James asked nervously.

"I'll be right back," Sirius repeated placating him and continuing to race off.

What he saw shocked him. A body, headless yet still quite alive, was gambling about the battle field, knocking into everyone, Death Eaters and Order members alike. The woman who had screamed turned out to be Hestia Jones. She was watching the morbid sight with wide, horrified eyes.

"Hestia," Sirius said, coming up alongside her, "what _is _that?"

"I don't know," said Hestia, her voice barely audible above the mixed noise of shouted curses, spells, screams, and general confusion.

"He's been splinched," said an out-of-breath voice, and Sirius and Hestia turned to see Lily moving towards them, Alice following behind with a masked head in her hands.

Alice wasted no time rushing over to the body and trying to replace the head. Meanwhile Sirius looked over at Lily, relieved to her looking unharmed, if not a bit tired and bruised.

"I thought I told you to stay with James," Lily said crossly. "Where is he?"

"Where you left him," Sirius answered. "And I _was _with him, the whole time. I just left a moment ago to see if you were all right..." He trailed off, having noticed for the first time Apollo and a bushy-haired girl standing side by side behind Lily.

"Apollo...what in the world—"

"Dumbledore brought him here," Lily said shortly.

"And Leo?"

"Weasleys," Lily replied.

"Er...a little help here..._please_..."

They all turned to see Alice struggling to keep the body still so that she could reattach the head.

"Oh, sorry Alice," Lily said, and went over to help her. But just as they were about to place the head on the Death Eater's shoulders, there was a burst of light that blinded everyone open the field.

Like a wave, a silence and a stillness passed through the ranks of Order members, Ministry Aurors, and Death Eaters. They stood, side by side, enemy with enemy, all watching with wide eyes as Voldemort made his presence known upon the field of battle. The bushy-haired girl beside Apollo gasped and Alice shrunk behind Sirius. Lily was frozen on the spot, hands now clutching the still-detached head.

Dumbledore approached Voldemort, looking confident and more angry than afraid. Voldemort's unnaturally bright eyes were narrowed dangerously and he fingered his wand in a deadly fashion. For a moment no one moved, no one spoke, no one even breathed. And then a whispered voice sounded in Sirius's ear.

"Sirius...who _is _that?"

* * *

Harry watched with comic detachment as Lily and Alice struggled to hold to headless Death Eater still. That was, until, a blinding light shot through the crowd, and the battle seemed to have been put on pause.

A tall, older man, though still well in his prime, was now standing on the field amidst the frozen battle. He was dark-robed and regal-looking, and seemed unafraid of everything that was going on about him. He had black hair and piercing eyes that were anything but friendly and warm and inviting as they swept about the field with disdain.

It wasn't until Dumbledore appeared before him did the man's expression change from annoyance to undeniable hatred.

Hermione gasped at the sight of the man and pressed herself into Harry. But Harry himself did not feel necessarily afraid of this man, like everyone else seemed to be. Instead he was intensely confused, and wondered why the fighting had stopped when he came.

With Hermione clinging onto him, Harry edged over to Sirius and whispered, so as not to draw unneeded attention to himself: "Sirius...who _is _that?"

Sirius swiveled around to face him, looking incredulous. "_What_?" he hissed.

"Who's that man?" Harry whispered again.

"Apollo," Sirius said, looking shocked, "that's...that's _Voldemort_."

Harry gave a soft _oh! _and returned his gaze to the unfamiliar Dark Lord. _Well, this is unexpected._

* * *

Tonks, Remus, Molly, Arthur, and Bill were all sitting by the fireside in the basement of Grimmauld Place drinking hot coffee. Each face was pensive and no one spoke, eyes watching the fire, their coffee cups, or the floor.

Tonks was just going over in her mind their latest defeat at the hands of the enemy, when Remus straightened suddenly and stood, placing his cup gently down upon the table. Tonks watched him as he went to the stairs and walked up them, pausing at the closed door.

He didn't open the door, just stared at it, a strange look upon his face.

"Remus?" Tonks asked, and the others also looked up and over at him. "Remus?" she asked again.

He turned to look at them, the oddest expression she had ever seen present in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Tonks said, standing and making to move towards him.

"There's someone at the door," he answered in shaking tones.

There was a beat of confused silence that followed this announcement. Tonks had not heard anyone at the door, nor apparently did any of the others, but Remus _was _a werewolf, perhaps he could sense a presence while others couldn't.

But if there was someone behind the door, why didn't he or she make themselves known?

Unless, of course, they didn't _want _to be known.

"Well, see who it is, Remus dear," Molly said, breaking the silence.

Remus looked reluctant to do so. His hand was held in midair, inches away from the handle, yet he did not touch it.

Tonks walked forward slowly, cautiously. She stopped at the foot of the stairs and looked up at Remus.

"Why won't you open the door?"

He looked at her and then at the others, who were also gathering at the foot of the stairs. Then he turned back to the door and whispered, "Go away."

Whenever Tonks felt nervous, she got angry; angry at herself for not being in charge of a situation. "Well, we _can't _go away, you know," she said shortly. "You're blocking the way out."

"No, not you," Remus said quickly. "I was talking to..." he waved a hand weakly at the door.

Tonks stomped up the stairs, and then peeked beneath the crack under the doorway. There were no feet standing there, no hem of robes, not even a shadow.

"There's no one there, Remus," Tonks said, as though convincing a small child that there are no monsters in his closet.

Remus looked disbelieving, and checked under the door himself. "Actually," he said, squatting by the crack, "there is. I can see someone's shadow."

Tonks frowned. She knelt beside him, checking again for herself. "Well, there's a shadow from the troll leg umbrella st—"

"No!" Remus said, sounding very angry and frustrated. "You can't see the shadow _right there_? Right by the door?"

Tonks looked at him closely and for the first time in her life was afraid of the werewolf. He looked half-mad, his eyes wide and bestial and his hands white and shaking.

"Remus...there's no one there..."

Bill came up the stairs then, and pushed the door open.

There was no one there.

Everyone was looking at Remus, who had exchanged his normally pale complexion with a furious red one.

Tonks brushed back her tomato-red hair with a hand, and looked anxiously around, trying to find whatever humor there was in the situation. There wasn't any.

"There was someone there," Remus said, more so to convince himself than the others. "I'm not mad. There was _someone there_."

"Right then," said Arthur lightly. "Well, whoever it was is gone now. And Merlin, look at the time! Bill and I'd best be off for work." He leaned forward and kissed Molly on the cheek, then smiled around at the others. "See you later then?"

"See you," Tonks said.

"And I should get back home for a bit," Molly said, following her husband's lead and trying to act as if nothing had just happened. "I'll be back later tonight."

When the three oldest Weasleys had Apparated away, Tonks and Remus were left standing awkwardly in the hall.

"There _was _someone there," he said again, his eyes pleading as he looked at her. "I could here him."

"Remus—"

"I am _not _mad, Tonks," he said fervently.

"I know you're not," she said consolingly. "It's just...no one else heard anything, Remus. I couldn't see anything under the door. Only you could."

"But _why_?" He began to pace slightly. "Why me?"

Tonks didn't answer but followed his progress with her eyes. He stopped abruptly and looked at her.

"He'll come back."

"How do you know?"

"This isn't the first he's come. He came last night. He stood behind my door. I thought I was dreaming but..."

"Who is he?"

"I don't know. He won't say."

"What does he look like?"

"I haven't seen him. He always stands behind the door. He won't let me see him."

Tonks looked down at her hands, wishing more than ever that Sirius was here. He would know the right thing to say to Remus. He would know what to do and how to help. Tonks had no idea how to proceed.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Remus said, amber eyes fixed on her.

"It's not that, Remus," she said. "I just think that, well, you've been through a hard time lately, we all have, and maybe it's finally getting to us all—"

Remus growled slightly. "This has nothing to do with Harry or Dumbledore or Sir—"

"The point, Remus," Tonks interrupted, "is that...oh hell, I don't know what the point is!" She threw her hands up in the air as a sign of defeat. "Fine, if you say that there was someone there, then I'll believe you. I'll believe you because you're Remus Lupin and you've never lied before. And I _know _you're not crazy, even if you _do _act it sometimes, even if you _are_ a monster once a month, even if the Ministry of Magic _has_ got you classified as an animal rather than a human, even if—"

"All right, I get the point." But he was smiling slightly, the small smile of a man who was immensely grateful for a vote of confidence.

She smiled back.

* * *

Longest chappie so far! Wahoo!

I will not make you wait that long for another update again. I swear. If I do, feel free to beat me with e-mails.

The next chapter will tie up some loose ends that I have been dying to get over with for FOUR chapters now. Also, that bloody battle (no pun intended) in Sarehole will FINALLY end.

And maybe somebody will begin to...er..._notice _some things about Apollo. I'll let you all take bets on whom it will be. Heh heh.

And what is up with that Remus Lupin character?

Fare thee well for now, my lambs. See you sometime next week, unless I die or something...

Love,

Enny


	10. A New Power, A New Presence

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns everything. She even owns our lives. Sadly, this is so very very true.

**Rating: **PG-13, for violence, language, and angst

**Genre: **NO SLASH; Adventure/Action/Angst; not really a romance, though I tend to hint at Ron/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, Ginny/Neville, and there are quite a few James/Lily moments.

**Spoilers: **PS/SS, CoS, PoA, GoF, and OotP.

**Summary: **The end of the battle and the beginning of the school year. Remus may not be the only one hearing things, and…what's this? Did someone notice something? About "Apollo"?

**Dedication: **To Miles (1985-2004) I miss you. Rest in peace, my friend.

**Author's Note: _GAAAAAAHHHHH!!! _**Okay, now that I have your attention, I need to discuss four semi-important things with my dearly beloved readers:

1) In the review of **Tombadgerlock**, it was stated that Voldemort looked like a snake-thing even before he was defeated by little Harry Potter. This is very true (or at least we assume it is true because of what characters have said; we as yet have no actual description of the Dark Lord before his fall). However, the reason why the Other World Voldemort is this fic looks more human is **_not_** because Harry wasn't there to defeat him in the first place. There is another reason, a reason that I shall not tell you because it is a secret. Bwahaha. So, that's that. And I thank **Tombadgerlock** for bringing this to my attention, for I can see now that this would be sort of confusing.

2) Moving on. In many (most) of the reviews that I got, people were begging me to make _someone, anyone _notice who Apollo truly is. I assure you that I will. Eventually. In my own time. I'm sorry, but it has to happen this way. Maybe it's because I am a Hufflepuff, but I have a certain amount of patience with these things. I am noticing that most of the people who are reading this fic are _not _Hufflepuffs, and therefore have _no _patience. Good things come to those who wait. Trust me; I will not let you down. In fact, throughout the majority of this fic they will know of Apollo's true identity. (This should tell you how long this story is going to end up being.) It will happen. Patience is a virtue.

3) Several people have asked me if this is going to be H/Hr. The answer is NO. Not that I have anything against the good old HMS Pumpkin Pie, it's just that I really think Hermione falling for "Apollo" would be too cliché. And I'm really trying to steer clear of too many different ships in this fic besides the ones blatantly hinted at in canon.

4) Okay, this isn't as important as the other three; I just thought that it was rather amusing. I absolutely love the theories I've been receiving on who's behind the door. A couple of you are spot on! If you haven't figured it out yet, then this chapter and the next one should answer this mystery for you. And now, a big thank you to all my reviewers:

**Night-Owl123: **I know, I'm sorry. Thank you for reviewing!

**MuShU gIrL: **I'm glad this is one of your favorite stories. Thank you so much!

**phoebe666: **Well, I tried to update fast this time. Unfortunately I failed. Thanks for your review!

**gallandro-83: **Thank you very much!

**Maxennce: **You'll find out more about the Other Voldemort and his connection (or lack thereof) with Harry soon...well, maybe not soon, but…eventually…Thank you!

**Tombadgerlock: **As always, thank you very much!

**Yuna31: **Je sais, le chapitre huit a été très tard. Mais, voilà! Le chapitre neuf! Aussi tard! Pauvre Alice et la tête...heh heh…Merci, merci!

**Larna Mandrea: **Throws cold water on your head and helps you up Yes, 'tis I! The mighty Cliché-Ass-Kicker! Here to catch you as you faint dramatically and ensure that you DO NOT DIE. Because that would be tragically sad. So to make sure that you LIVE, here is another chapter for you. Happy reading and thank you!

**girlknight: **I'll try not to die, if only for you, girlknight. Well, lamb is better than bird, which is what I was originally going to call you all. Lambs are cuter. Living in an igloo _would _be cool. Get it? Hahahaha…haha…ha…ahem. Ninja lumberjacks? What will you think of next? My last name means "son of a lumberjack" in Polish, but I assure you that I am _not_ a son, and my father is _not _a lumberjack. Anyway, thank you for your crazyness. Try not to go insane while stuck in the cold north. We got snow where I live this week, but I'm sure it's been snowing where you live for a month now. Thank you!

**eclipse: **dances around singing with you. Well, it sounded like you had fun. Two reviews! I feel so special! Lily or Sirius, eh? Hmm…well, you'll see soon enough. Thank you!

**wolfawaken: **Indeed, the plot thickens. Mwahaha. Thank you!

**gina87: **Thank you very much!

**Sirius1Fan: **So many questions, all of which shall be answered. In time. Thank you!

**heyo: **No, please, have pity on poor Sirius. It's all my fault! Hate me instead! Spare the animagus! He's innocent, I say, innocent! Really though, if you were Sirius, would you suspect, in your wildest dreams, that the kid that's spending the summer with you is actually your godson who died as an infant in your world, but has come over from another dimension in disguise? I didn't think so. So please don't hate him. He's just a pawn in my evil plot to take over the world—er—I mean, in the plot of my _fic_. Anyway, of course Harry will fight. But as you said, nothing superhero-y. And please don't die. I'd cry forever. Thank you!

**Miss Us Padfoot: **You shall get your wishes soon enough, m'dear. Thank you!

**Lachwen: **Thank you very much!

**Kara Adar: **You'll see, oh, you'll see. Mwahahaha. Thank you for reviewing!

**NoAlias: **All right, all right, I get the hint. Lol. Thank you so much!

**Amour-Lily: **Wow, thank you! I'm glad you like it!

**scotgirl: **Yeah, I'm not a big fan of the whole super-Harry. I'm happy that you think it's believable. I try. Hehe. Thank you very much!

**kyLaaa: **Oh man, I know what you mean about the answering the door. I wrote that part on Hallowe'en, and it seemed as if every time I had Lupin's "Visitor" knock on the door, a trick-or-treater would knock on the door, and I would get sorta creeped out. But anyway, thank you for reviewing! I promise no more cliffies. (P.S.—Have I mentioned I'm a chronic liar?)

**gaul1: **Thank you!

**TopQuark: **Thanks very much!

**holily (The Reviewer Formerly Known As becus): **Hey! It's my fave reviewer! Don't pull your hair out! You'll go bald! You'll have to wear a wig and/or a hat for the rest of your life! But, thank you for your lovely review!

**EriEka127: **Thank you lots!

**Assur: **Guten tag, Assur! (Aha! Spelled it right this time!) I missed you! Stupid computers, they always break ever so inconveniently. The furthest from home (Massachusetts) that I've traveled to is Colorado in the Midwest, which is the about the same distance between Berlin and Lisbon, Portugal. I figured this out for you in my Geology class, standing at the world map and measuring with my fingers…hehe. Yes, I am traveling by plane, and as long as I wear my headphones to block my sister out all will be well. She's sixteen now, but she'll be seventeen next August when we go. I CAN'T WAIT!!! And thank you for my new words! That made my day! Thank you again!

**Sirius Revenge: **I didn't die! I lived! WOOT! Thank you for reviewing!

**A-man: **Well, here it is! Thank you!

**FullMoon-Witch: **Thank you very much!

**futago akuma-tenshi01: **Thanks so much!

**preoperative: **I feel bad that I didn't update sooner. I also had life stuff. Stupid life. I hope I don't ever take this long again. Thank you!

**Meggplant: **Thank you for putting this on your favorites, and I hope your play went well. When I first saw your name, I thought you were my friend Meg whom we all call Meggplant, but I don't think you're her…unless you ARE her… looks around suspiciously Curious…Anyway, thank you for reviewing!

**ginnyNharrysecretlove: **Thank you!

**Anonymouse: **Thank you very much!

**SiriusJamesRemus'sgirl: **Wow, thanks! And sorry to have kept you waiting.

**AAuksharmony: **Leo or Sirius, eh? And no, this isn't going to be HHr (see above). Thank you so much! YOU made MY day! And I will not stop writing, even if I die.

**Hikagi: **If it's any consolation, I have actually written the scene where they discover who Apollo really is, I just can't post it until…well, you'll see. I'm glad you like my little fic! Thank you very much!

**tondothehalfelf: **Let me tell you, Tondo, I asked EVERYONE that same question. During Thanksgiving when all my relatives came over, I asked them all, and they all said the same thing: "America IS the world." Then I got angry because they would laugh and refuse to tell me the real reason. So finally, my uncle took pity on my and told me the REAL reason. It's called the World Series because Canada plays as well, and any country is welcome to join in, it's just that not many countries beside the U.S. care that much for baseball. So that is the story of my quest to find the answer to your question. And what a good story it was. FIN.

**Constance Truggle: **Wow, thank you a lot! It loves you, too!

**BexyLou: **Lily or Leo, you say? Interesting…Thank you so much for your review!

**Depressed Gothic Raven: **I'm glad that you like my story! Thank you!

**C. Rose: **Certain elements shall be addressed post haste. Thank you for reviewing!

**deathscythe: **AHH!!! OW! PLEASE—OW! I'M NOT—OW—GOOD—OW—WITH PAIN!!! HERE! TAKE YOUR—OW—CHAPTER!!! AHHH!!!

**Dr Gero: **Wow indeed. Thank you very much. I was rather proud of that last part, if I do say so myself. :) Thanks again!

**Ibozun: **Thank you for bothering me, as I asked. As a reward, I give you…AN UPDATE!

**foxylittlechibi: **O! The anger! It burns me! But thank you. I deserve the punishment. I have been a very bad updater lately. slaps self Bad, bad Enny. Thank you for making me feel guilty! It is well appreciated.

**C.M Aeris Queen of Insanity: **I'm glad you found this story and liked it. I'm also glad that you didn't have to wait to long for an update and are doing everyone a favor in beating me. It hurts, but it's a good kind of pain. Thank you!

**Chapter Nine:**

**A New Power, A New Presence**

"_I surrender to the one who took my place._

_I can feel your presence here with me…"_

—"_Here with Me" by Mercy Me_

"I thought you'd be joining us, Tom."

Harry and the others watched with rapt attention as the two wizards moved to confront one another. He could feel Hermione shaking behind him, and he was sure that if Sirius opened his eyes any wider, they would pop out of their sockets.

"You old fool," hissed Voldemort, his eyes fixed on Dumbledore. If there was one thing that remained the same with this Dark Lord, Harry noticed, it was his voice. High, cold, and deadly. "Shouldn't you be back at that laxly-run school of yours?"

"Surely you know as well as I, Tom, that the students are still on holiday."

"Indeed, I know it. I keep a close eye on all the students, mudbloods and pure bloods alike." He grinned a dangerous grin, and then, with reflexes too quick to react to, he raised his wand.

"_Avada Kedavra!_"

Green light shot out of it and rushed towards Dumbledore…

But Dumbledore was no longer standing there.

It seemed as though he had Apparated away, but Harry knew better. He knew that the old headmaster would never leave a battle with Voldemort to save his own life. He knew that only too well.

And soon enough, he was proven correct. Dumbledore reappeared behind Voldemort, looking as casual as ever.

The Dark Lord hissed violently and turned to face the old professor.

"_Crucio!_"

The light sped from his wand and hit Dumbledore in the chest. There was a collective gasp, and the head that was still resting in Alice's arms shouted, "Turn me about…I can't see what's happening!"

But nothing seemed to _be _happening. Dumbledore merely smiled, as he had been doing, and took a step toward the seething Voldemort.

"I'm terribly sorry to disappoint you, Tom," Dumbledore said, not looking at all apologetic, "but I have taken my own precautions against some of your spells. Just as you have mine." Dumbledore raised his wand, and Voldemort did the same moving into a defensive mode.

Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and her grip on Harry's arm became almost unbearable. Despite this, he spent a few awe-filled minutes watching the duel between the two wizards, amazed as always of the power they possessed and the scope of their magical abilities. It was only then that Harry remembered what Dumbledore had said to him before: to keep away from where he would be fighting with Voldemort.

Harry began to back away, and Hermione shot him an anxious glance.

"Where are you going?" she whispered.

"Come on," he whispered back. "We should get out of here…"

Hermione gave him no objections, and followed closely as they went, unnoticed, from the duel. They weren't ten yards away, though, when another explosion filled the already vociferous air. Turning, Harry saw a cloud of smoke erupt from where Dumbledore and Voldemort had been previously dueling.

_Please, _Harry thought desperately, _please let him be all right. I can't survive in this world without his guidance…_

A shout went up from the crowd that surrounded the duel. A victorious shout. And Harry realized, with a great relief, that the noise of victory was coming from the Order and Ministry aurors, not the Death Eaters. In fact, the black-hooded followers of the Dark Lord seemed to be fleeing.

"Come on!" Harry shouted, yanking on Hermione's arm and racing back towards the center of the fight. Death Eaters were Disapparating around them, and Voldemort was no where to be seen.

They had won the battle.

Harry moved over to where Dumbledore was standing, surrounded by Order members congratulating him, complimenting him, and asking as to whether he was all right or not.

"Thank you, I'm fine," Dumbledore was saying, but Harry thought he looked uncharacteristically pale and tired.

Yet when he saw Harry approaching, he brightened. "Pardon me, please…"

He went over to Harry, beaming. "Are you all right, young man?"

"Yes sir," Harry replied, returning his smile.

Dumbledore looked as though he were about to say something else, until he noticed Hermione standing silently beside Harry. "Ah, Miss Granger. I did not know you had come to join us."

Hermione gave a timid nod, staring at Dumbledore as though he were God.

He nodded gently at her. "You live nearby?"

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore."

"Apollo," Dumbledore said, turning back to Harry, "would you mind escorting this young woman back to her home. That is, if you do not mind, Miss Granger."

"I don't mind," Hermione answered, seeming to come out of her awe-filled state a bit. "Do you, Apollo?"

"No, I'll go," Harry replied.

"Very well then, it's all settled," Dumbledore said. "Oh, and Apollo, be sure to come straight back here. We have a few things to discuss," he added, a significant look in his clear blues eyes.

"Yes, sir," Harry said, knowing it probably had to do with his mission. Though what about exactly, he had no idea.

* * *

"Would you…hold…_still_…"

Sirius watched, greatly amused, as Lily and Alice continued their struggle to reattach the head of the Death Eater, while Kingsley and Kai North did their best to hold the body still so that he wouldn't escape.

"That's almost as entertaining as you getting stuck under that roof," James mused, nodding to the grotesque spectacle as he leaned heavily on Sirius's shoulder.

"Hey there, Prongs, you were stuck under the roof, too, you know."

"No, _I _was stuck under Lily, who was stuck under you, who was stuck under the roof."

"Pft! Technicalities," Sirius said, brushing his good hand through his plaster-laden hair.

"There!" Lily shouted, placing her hands on her hips and having a look of grim satisfaction upon her face. "Your ugly head is back on your lumpy shoulders."

The Death Eater grumbled murderously as he was hauled away by Kingsley and North to where they were holding the other prisoners that were unable to escape when their master fled.

"Well now," Sirius said, looking around at all the destruction merrily, "that wasn't so bad, was it?"

Lily and Alice gave him a look.

"What?" Sirius defended. "We won, didn't we?"

"Hardly," Alice sniffed, trying to find a clean spot of her robes to use to scrub the dirt off her face. "If Dumbledore hadn't come when he did…"

"And look at all our casualties," Lily added, gesturing around herself. "Not exactly a clean job."

Sirius sighed, "Honestly, you two don't have to be such pessimists. You're ruining this joyous occasion. I am, did you _see _Lucius Malfoy? I didn't know he could run like that. Did you, Prongs?"

"Sorry, I wasn't listening," James said, wincing. "I was too busy being in pain."

At this, Lily went over to him and gently kissed the top of his head. "That better?"

James smiled. "Much better, thank you, love."

It was Sirius's turn to wince. "Please, you two, get a room," he teased.

"Silence, Padfoot," James said, "you voice hurts my head. It echoes around inside my skull."

"Well, your skull has a lot of room for echoing, doesn't it, James?" said another voice.

The all turned, and Alice jumped forward and threw her arms around the newcomer. "Frank! Are you all right? I wondered what had happened to you! I was so worried!"

Frank Longbottom laughed and kissed his wife. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Again with the displaying of affection," Sirius sighed.

"I think Sirius is jealous," Lily whispered to James.

"I think Sirius can hear you," Sirius said, turning red.

* * *

Harry moved stealthily down the hill towards the city, Hermione hurrying along at his heels. He knew that they were not out of the woods yet, so to speak. Just because Voldemort and most of his Death Eaters had fled, didn't mean _all _of them had. Hermione however seemed to think that they were totally out of danger.

"Did you _see _how they fought?" she asked, a bit too loudly. "That was _amazing. _I had never even heard of half the spells they cast, had you?"

"Shush, Hermione," Harry said softly. "There could still be some of Voldemort's followers—"

Hermione gasped sharply, making Harry whirl around on the spot, whipping out his wand. "What? What is it?"

She was staring at him in a mixture of shock and admiration. "You said…you said _his name_."

Harry sighed. "Oh is that all? You had me thinking it was something terrible."

"Oh is that all?" Hermione asked incredulously. "Is that all? I've never…no one's…just Dumbledore…you…"

"It's just a name, Hermione," Harry said, patiently. "He won't know if you say it."

She shook her head. "I couldn't. I _shouldn't_. And you shouldn't either."

"Why not?" Harry asked.

"Because…" she faltered, unable to come up with a good answer. She just stared at him closely for a moment, and he squirmed slightly under her brown gaze.

"Don't you fear him?" Hermione asked, quietly.

Harry was about to say "no", feeling rather brave with sun still hanging in the sky, but he also knew that, besides the dementors, few other things had scared him more than the power of the Dark Lord Voldemort.

"I don't know," Harry said, staring at his feet. "I mean, I've seen the worst he can do, he killed my parents. I suppose I hate him more than fear him. Or at the very least, I fear what he can _do_ more than him himself."

Hermione cocked her head to the side. "I thought you said before that Death Eaters killed your parents."

Harry started, but recovered quickly. "Yes, well, on Voldemort's orders, you know." _Keep your stories straight, Potter._

"Oh, of course," she said. "It's gotten a bit chilly, hasn't it?"

Harry hugged his robes closer to himself. "Yeah…come on, we should go…"

"I'd rather you stay where you are."

Harry froze and Hermione squeaked in surprise. Both turned slowly to see a figure in black robes and a mask standing a few yards away.

"Think you could run away, did you?" drawled the masked figure. His voice sounded young and very familiar to Harry. Apparently, Hermione also seemed to know that voice.

"Malfoy," she whispered, eyes wide.

"That's right," the Slytherin boy said, pulling back the mask and grinning wickedly at them both. "All right there, mudblood? Who's your friend here? Some more of the Muggle-filth you come from?"

Harry raised his wand higher. "Hardly." His voice was tight with anger, though it didn't surprise him in the least that Draco Malfoy was not only a Death Eater, but damn proud of it as well.

Malfoy grinned wider, twirling his own wand between his fingers.

"Shouldn't you be running away with all your friends?" Harry said, taking a step forward. The last person in the world he was about to let intimidate him was Draco Malfoy.

"Running away?" snorted Malfoy. "Is that what you think we were doing? No, we're regrouping, gathering more of our strength. We'll attack again, rest assured, we always do. We'll allow you to believe that you've beaten us; lead you into a false sense of security. It's all part of the Dark Lord's plans."

"The Dark Lord must really love having _you _as a minion, spouting off his plans to known enemies," Harry said, taking a few more steps nearer to the young Death Eater.

"You Muggle-lovers could hear every detail of every one of his plans and still not understand their full meaning. Quality of blood equals quality of brains, after all."

"Then you must be descended from apes, Malfoy," Hermione piped up bravely from behind Harry.

Malfoy snorted. "Shut your face, Granger. You're lucky I haven't cursed you into oblivion yet."

"Like you could," Harry said.

"Oh, you want to see proof then?" Malfoy said, running a hand casually through his white-blond hair.

"I don't need proof," Harry spat. "I can tell just by looking at you that you aren't worth my time. Though it might be good for a laugh."

Malfoy made an ugly face. "Who do you think you are, anyway? What's your surname?"

"Hero," Harry said, glad that this time he hadn't messed up his pseudonym.

"How appropriate," sneered Malfoy, and he lifted his wand, shouting, "_Sagitti!"_

Three whizzing arrows flew from his wand tip towards Harry and Hermione. Without even thinking of using his own wand, Harry ducked, and pulled Hermione down with him.

Malfoy laughed coldly, his pinched face full of malice. "Come now, Hero. Don't you want to play?"

"Apollo," said Hermione, "can't we go? I have to deal with him all the time at school. He's just a bully. Ignore him." She tugged on his sleeve, but Harry shrugged her off, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Shove off, Malfoy. You don't scare me."

Malfoy laughed again and sent another three arrows at them. This time, one caught Hermione in the arm, and she gasped in pain.

Harry stood up, and strode forward angrily.

Malfoy continued to laugh, but his grey eyes grew wary.

They watched each other closely for a few brief moments, fingers twitching on their wand handles, sizing up their opponents. But Harry had the advantage; while he didn't know everything about this particular Draco, he could see that he was not so different than the other one. This Draco, on the other hand, knew nothing about Harry.

"_Novaculo_!" Malfoy yelled, and what appeared to be a knife or razor came flying out of his wand at Harry.

"_Protego_!" Harry countered, and the weapon bounced away, falling onto the grass.

"_Crucio_!"

Harry was able to dodge that curse, and immediately aimed a spell at his nemesis in return. "_Rictusempra_!"

Malfoy dropped his wand and rolled around on the ground, laughing hysterically. "AHAHA—STOP! HAHAHAHA! STOP IT! NO—HAHAHAHA!"

"_Accio wand_," Harry said easily, and Malfoy's wand flew into his outstretched hand. He lifted the tickling spell, and Malfoy lay gasping on the ground, watching as Harry approached with a mixture of hate and fear in his eyes.

Harry stopped above him, looking down at him. He was just calculating what to do with him next, when Malfoy suddenly sat up and grabbed Harry around the knees. He lost his balance and fell over, the wands flying out of his hands.

Malfoy landed his fist in Harry's stomach, but Harry managed to kick Malfoy hard in the shins in return, making him cry out. Taking advantage of his lapse in concentration, Harry lunged forward, and the two boys wrestled on the ground, fists flying, legs flailing, grunting and cursing at each other.

Somehow, Malfoy managed to land on top of Harry, pinning him to the ground. He grabbed hold of Harry's throat, choking him, and Harry clasped his hands in a pleading sort of way.

Malfoy snorted. "Giving up already, Hero?"

Harry nodded, but before Malfoy could react, Harry swung his clasped hands forward and into Malfoy's jaw.

The force caused Malfoy to let go of Harry's throat, holding his hands over his face, and Harry, though relieved in being able to breathe again, wasted no time in leaping forward and tackling Malfoy to the ground.

Malfoy cried out, but then picked up the knife that was lying in the grass. He rolled over onto his back, Harry bending over him, and swiped desperately at Harry. The knife caught Harry in the shoulder, and he recoiled slightly.

Malfoy then took the opportunity to jump up and run over to where his wand had fallen. He picked it up and, without a second's hesitation, Disapparated away.

"Apollo!" Hermione cried, running over to him. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Harry said, examining his shoulder. "It's just a scratch. What about you? Are you hurt?"

Hermione grimaced as she showed Harry her arm. The arrow had only grazed it, but it had left a nasty cut just above her elbow.

"It twinges a bit," she admitted, "but I'll live."

"Let me have a look at it." But the instant Harry touched her arm, two very strange things happened all at once: a stinging pain shot up his arm, and the wound on Hermione's arm seemed to disappear.

"How did you do that?" Hermione gasped.

"I—I didn't do anything," Harry said, perplexed, as he rubbed his arm.

Hermione stared at him, and then shook her head. "I don't know about that, Apollo. I really don't know about any of this. But I _do _know that I am glad to have met you."

* * *

After Harry had seen Hermione home safely, he returned wearily to the field in Sarehole. As he went in search of Dumbledore, he watched wizards and witches helping the wounded and cleaning up the area. Everyone looked rather grim and on edge, as though expecting another attack.

"Miss Granger home, Harry?"

Harry turned and smiled at the old professor. "Yes, sir, she's home safe. You…wanted to talk to me about some things?"

"Yes, Harry," Dumbledore said, "why don't we find somewhere a bit more private?"

They walked over to a space apart from where everyone else was, near the bushes where Harry had first met Hermione. Dumbledore settled himself down upon the ground and motioned for Harry to do the same. It was then that the headmaster noticed the tear in Harry's shoulder.

"How did that happened?" he asked with a slight frown, gesturing to the rip in his robes.

Harry sighed. "Hermione and I were attacked by Malfoy. We fought a bit, but the he got away, or rather _ran away_," He added with a satisfied grin. "It's all right though, just a cut, it'll heal. Hermione got a bit worse than me, but—" He stopped, unsure of how to explain what had happened.

"What is it, Harry?"

"Well…the arrow that did it, it only grazed her skin, but it left a nasty gash. And when I went to have a look at it, it…disappeared. As though it healed itself, instantly."

Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hmm…perhaps we shall see if anything will become of this in the future…" He looked thoughtful for a moment longer before glancing back at Apollo. "Did you notice anything about yourself? While you were fighting? Any new abilities show themselves?"

Harry shook his head. "No, sir, just the same old, same old."

"Ah well," Dumbledore said sagely, "I expect it won't be much longer now."

Harry wasn't sure of what he was saying, but he nodded anyway.

"Now," Dumbledore said suddenly, "you will be starting Hogwarts here on 1st September correct?"

"Of course," Harry said.

"Are you still willing to be a Gryffindor, or do you which to be resorted?"

"Gryffindor," Harry said at once. There was no question in that.

"Very well," Dumbledore said. "You will be a Gryffindor, and be sure to tell your housemates, if they ask, that you were given a private sorting in my office."

"Yes, sir."

"Now, I have one more thing…"

Dumbledore reached into his pocket and pulled out the parchment upon which the directions for the Intermundia Charm were written.

"Oh!" Harry exclaimed, taking them from the headmaster. "I'd forgotten all about this!"

"Sirius found it."

"What?" Harry asked sharply, eyes wide. "He saw…?"

"No, dear boy," Dumbledore said with a smile. "He couldn't see. He thought it only a blank piece of parchment when he found it in your pockets the day he found you, though he gave it to me to check over anyway, just to make sure. You see, Harry, no one can see the directions, unless they know, as you and I know, what they are."

Harry sighed, relieved, and put the directions in his pocket. "Is that all you wanted to discuss with me, sir?"

"Yes, Harry, you may go now. I shall see you on 1st September."

Harry got up, but then turned to face the old man who still sat cross-legged on the mossy ground. "Sir? May I ask you something?"

"Of course, Harry."

"It's about the Object…how am I to find it? Do you know?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No one, as far as I am aware, knows what it is our where to look for it. This is something you must figure out own your own."

A great rock of disappointment fell into his stomach. How in the world would he be able to find it?

"I know it seems like an insurmountable task," Dumbledore continued, "and it's not fair that such a fate should be thrust upon your young shoulders, but you are the only hope that both worlds have, Harry."

"I'll do it, sir, it's just…how long will it take?"

"I don't know, Harry," Dumbledore said sadly, "I wish I could tell you. But for now, you must try and do your best to live in this world."

Harry nodded. "Goodbye, sir."

"Goodbye, Harry."

Harry left and went in search of Sirius and the others. He found them standing in front of what remained of the old house.

"All right there, Apollo?" Sirius asked, upon seeing him.

"Yeah," Harry said, "just a bit bruised here and there, but mostly tired."

"Well, you can go on back to my house now," he said, "I have a few things to take care of here. I'll be along in awhile."

Harry nodded and clambered back into the fireplace that had brought him here.

* * *

Harry lay upon the bed, utterly exhausted. He felt as though he hadn't slept for days, even weeks perhaps. The mattress beneath him was softer and more comfortable than he remembered it to be, and it was easy for him to shut his eyes and fall straight to sleep.

But unfortunately, his reverie was short-lived.

He opened his eyes suddenly, confused as to what had awoken him. Then he realized. It was a baby crying.

It didn't strike him how very odd this was until he was a bit more awake. He sat up suddenly and looked about the room, listening hard. Yes, it definitely was a baby, and it sounded close by, as though it were in the room with him. But Harry knew that could not be so.

He got up, and followed the crying noises out into the hall. He could not discern from where it was coming from; the sound seemed to reverberate around him. So, he decided to check each room.

As he did so, he found nothing, but he began to wonder, what _was _a baby doing in Sirius's house? Harry was almost certain that his godfather in this world was unmarried and had no children to speak of. Surely he would have said something if he did.

With each empty room, Harry grew more and more curious, and more and more nervous. He could find no child, but the cries that it continued to utter grew neither louder nor softer. It was almost as if the sound of them were following Harry, or that they were within his very mind.

At last Harry entered Sirius's room, the last room on the first landing. He half-expected to see a little bundled-up baby lying on Sirius's bed, but, like all the previous rooms, there was nothing. And the cries continued.

_The sound must be coming from downstairs then, _Harry thought, but just as he was leaving Sirius's room, he heard a noise from downstairs that made him panic.

It was Sirius. He was home. And Harry didn't have his talisman on.

The guest room where Harry was staying in was down the hall from Sirius's, exactly opposite. In order to reach it, he would have to walk by the stairs, and then Sirius would see him. But he couldn't just _stay _here where he was…

He could hear Sirius moving around downstairs. Perhaps if he ran for it, he could get by Sirius unseen.

His heart thumping wildly in his chest, Harry made a mad dash down the hall, but just as he passed the stairs, just when he thought he was safe, Sirius's voice stopped him.

"James? What in the world are you doing here?"

Harry froze, not knowing what to do next. Sirius had seen him, but had mistaken him for his father.

"James?"

"Er…" Harry said, trying desperately to make his voice sound more mature.

"What are you doing here?" Sirius repeated. "You should be home."

"Er…"

He could here Sirius coming up the stairs now; he shrunk back into the shadows.

"I…" Harry racked his brain furiously for an excuse. "I had to…get something…for…er…for work…I thought that I had…left it here…but…"

From where he stood, he could see Sirius reaching the top of the stairs and beginning to round the corner.

"But I guess I left it somewhere else, bye," Harry said in one breath and then Disapparated into his room.

He landed on the bed, his legs feeling shaky. He breathed a sigh of relief, but inwardly he kicked himself. Why had he panicked and not just Apparated into his room in the first place? Stealing a moment for his heartbeat to return to normal, he noticed that the baby noise had stopped. This, of course, did not mean that he was going to let this whole thing go without investigating further. He slipped the talisman back on around his neck, changed back into Apollo, and went back out into the hall.

Sirius was standing at the top of the landing, looking utterly bewildered. "Apollo," he said, "did you happen to see or hear James Potter come in here just now?"

"Er…no…"

"Well, that's odd," Sirius said, looking thoughtful. Harry decided to play along.

"Why? Was he here?"

"Yeah, he just left a moment ago…said he needed to find something for his work…"

Making sure that he didn't give Sirius's brain time to work out anything it shouldn't, Harry said quickly, "What _does _Mr. Potter do?"

"I dunno," Sirius said, still looking very thoughtful. "He and Lily don't say a word about they're work. They're Unspeakables—"

"They're _what_?"

"Unspeakables," Sirius repeated, looking pensive. "They work in the Department of Mys—"

"I know what an Unspeakable is, I just had no idea that _they _are…"

Sirius leaned back over the railing, then sighed. "Ah well, it doesn't matter much. James's going to get an earful, though, when I tell Lily he's been Apparating with a concussion."

Harry's stomach churned uncomfortably. "You…you're going to…_tell_?"

Sirius frowned at him. "Er…yeah. I never miss an opportunity to have Lily rip his head off."

Harry thought quickly. "Well, couldn't you, instead of telling on him, keep it secret…?" _Why would Sirius do a lame thing like that, Harry? Stop being thick and think of a _real _reason to prevent Sirius from mentioning anything._

But to his great surprise, Sirius's grey eyes lit up and he smiled wickedly. "Excellent idea. I won't tell Lily, I'll hold this information over James's head…as blackmail." He turned to Harry, grinning. "I like the way your mind works, Apollo."

"Er…"

"Well, go on now, back to bed," Sirius said. "You've had a long day."

Harry didn't need telling twice, and as he finally lay down to sleep, he was plagued with strange dreams of crying babies and headless Death Eaters.

* * *

First off, so sorry that this took so long. It was stressful month full of end-of-term papers and holiday activities. The result of which has, in fact, killed me. Thank you to everyone who bothered me and tortured me and beat me with mallets. Your efforts were much appreciated.

Secondly, to those of you whom I said that Harry would finally go to Hogwarts in this chapter, my apologies. He was supposed to, right up until a rather unexpected plotline caught me off guard and I had to rearrange my notes for this story, which is half of why this chapter took extra long. Gah! First thing next chapter, though, he'll being going to Hogwarts.

Thank you for all your patience and Happy Belated Thanksgiving to all my American readers! I promise that the next chapter will not take so damn long since finals end soon.

Love,

Enny

MY HOMAGE TO THE STEFFIS:

Bows down Dearest Steffis, Lord of Procrastination, whom I neglected ever so shamefully to thank last chapter, here I am before you, to thank you again for all your lovely support and beg your forgiveness. And I would just like to say that we will miss you here at and Elves are NOT gay. And someday I will figure out my scanner, or, if my pride fails me, ask for help. And then you will see the wonderful picture I drew you. Stay amiastic!

Love,

Marty


	11. Nightmares of a Different Past

**Disclaimer: **Considering that I am in no ways rich, blonde, married with children, or British, I think it's safe to say that I am not J.K. Rowling, and therefore have not written the exquisite series of that famous boy wizard, Harry James Potter.

**Rating: **PG-13, for violence, language, and angst

**Genre: **NO SLASH; Adventure/Action/Angst; not really a romance, though I tend to hint at Ron/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, Ginny/Neville, and there are quite a few James/Lily moments.

**Spoilers: **PS/SS, CoS, PoA, GoF, and OotP.

**Summary: **The new school year begins and Leo makes a startling discovery that leads him to wonder: what does his deceased brother, Harry, have to do with Apollo Hero?

**Dedication: **To Miles (1985-2004) I miss you. Rest in peace, my friend.

**Author's Note: **Special thanks go to pmc (Curry25), my new beta, who has waded through my sea of grammatical nonsense and come out alive. Believe me, this chapter makes a lot more sense (and is more canonical) thanks to pmc. And also to my beloved Steffis, who taught me how to e-mail word files. I'd probably be dead without him. Also, I have taken into account the request of **lostdreamer23 **and have decided to put all my review responses at the end of the chapter. It really is much more efficient that way. And I would like to wish you all: **HAPPY BELATED HOLIDAYS!**

**Chapter Ten:**

**Nightmares of a Different Past**

"_My shadow's the only one that walks beside me,_

_My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating,_

_Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me,_

'_Til then I walk alone."_

—"_Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day_

James was in the halfway state between wakefulness and sleep. He drifted in and out, the late summer's sun creeping over the horizon and into the bedroom. Yet he knew that soon he'd have to get up. It was the first of September, after all, and a certain someone was starting school at Hogwarts.

He was just stealing himself to get up and wake Lily, when his wife suddenly rolled over onto her side, emitting a soft groan. "_No…no…_"

James sat up on his elbows, looking down at Lily with an amused smile. She was talking in her sleep. Oh, how he was going to tease her when she woke up…

But her next words wiped the grin right off his face.

"_Not Harry…no…Harry…please…no…_"

James suddenly felt very cold. "Lily," he said softly, "Lily, wake up…you're dreaming…."

"_Take me…not Harry…take me instead…don't kill him…please…PLEASE! NO!_" She began to writhe beneath the sheets, body twisting in pain or panic, or whatever it was that caused her distress.

"Lily!"

"_HARRY!_"

"Mum?"

Lily woke up suddenly and immediately grabbed hold of James' shoulders, green eyes livid with fear. Leo stood in the doorway, already in his Hogwarts robes, looking quite scared himself. "What's wrong with mum?"

"What are you doing in here?" snapped James, not out of anger at Leo, but out of nerves.

Leo took a step back, round eyes on his mother, who was now sobbing into James' chest. "I—I was just coming to wake you up…you said you wanted to be up by seven…"

James nodded, feeling guilty for yelling. "Thank you, son. Go on and get out of those robes now. You'll be in a Muggle train station—can't have them see you dressed like that, now can we?"

Leo nodded absently and left, shutting the door to the room as he did so.

"It was just a dream, Lily," James soothed, turning back to his wife. "It's all right, it's all right…"

"No, it's not," she said vehemently, voice half-choked with tears. "He should be starting his seventh year today. He should be Quidditch captain. He should be Head Boy. He should be helping Leo through his first year. But he's not! He's not, James, he's not!"

James said nothing, but held Lily tighter to himself, marveling that no matter how many years went by, the old wound in his heart, in Lily's heart, never really healed. And no matter how many times they reassured themselves that they had accepted and healed from Harry's death, they were only lying to themselves. Things like that stay with you forever.

"I wish I could see him," she whispered, having calmed down a bit, but still keeping her head against James' chest. "I wonder if he would have grown to look like you. I wonder if he would have been handsome and talented, with a small group of close friends who would have gotten themselves into mischief every chance they could. And maybe there'd have been a girl who despised him openly, and called him arrogant, but secretly loved him."

James laughed softly, though his heart wasn't really in it, and his eyes remained sad. "Secretly, eh? I hate to tell you, love, but I could always see through your little insults and reprimands. It was obvious you fancied me."

"It was not," Lily countered in an unconvincing way.

They sat there like that for a while, until Lily finally pulled away from James, looking up at him somewhat sheepishly. "Did Leo see?"

"I'm afraid so," James sighed, looking towards the door, and rising from bed. "I should go see if he needs help getting ready."

Lily nodded, getting up herself. "I'll make breakfast," she said quietly, and hastened from the room.

James made his way to Leo's room, where the boy's school robes now lay in a pile at the foot of his bed. Leo himself was sitting in front of his trunk, now dressed in everyday Muggle clothes, rifling through his school things. His back was to the door, but James could still see the stiff arch in Leo's posture that said he was nervous about something. That, along with the fact Leo had been unfolding all his socks, and then refolding them all again.

"Leo? All ready mate?"

Leo nodded but didn't turn.

"Are you excited?" James asked.

Leo nodded again, picking a hole in the toe of one of the recently unfolded socks.

"Well," James said, feeling suddenly very intrusive in his son's room. "Mum's making breakfast, so pack up that trunk and—"

"I don't want to go to Hogwarts," Leo said suddenly.

James was sure he had heard wrong. No one _didn't _want to go to Hogwarts. Hogwarts was the greatest place on Earth for young wizards and witches. _Everyone _did everything possible to be admitted. James had spent some of the best years of his life there. Besides, Leo had been talking about going to Hogwarts nonstop since he got his letter. How could he suddenly not want to go?

"What was that?" James asked, completely taken aback.

Leo turned around to face him, eyes wide and pleading. "If I go, then…" He trailed off, looking uncertain.

James knelt beside him. "What is it that's worrying you, Leo? Classes? Making friends?"

Leo shook his head. "No…it's…mum…"

James frowned slightly. "Mum? Why are you worried about…?" And suddenly it dawned on James what was troubling his son. His heart became heavy as he looked down at the boy next to him. "Oh, Leo, you shouldn't—"

"I don't want her to be sad anymore," Leo said quickly. "I don't want her to lose another son. I don't want her to be lonely. I don't want her to think I've abandoned her—"

"She won't, Leo, she won't," James said, throat tight. He placed his hands on Leo's shoulders and looked straight into his eyes. "She knows you'll come back to her on holidays, and that you'll write. She knows you have to go to school to become a wizard. She wants you to go, believe me, and so do I. We'll miss you of course, but it won't be as though you're gone forever like…"

"Like Harry," Leo said, looking more serious than James could ever remember him looking.

"Yes, Leo," James answered softly. He gave Leo's shoulders a short squeeze and said: "I want you to go and learn how to be a great wizard, Leo, and not worry about us. You'll be safe there at Hogwarts, and you'll make many friends. You'll probably have so much fun you won't even think about us."

Leo's face scrunched up and James could see his throat working, but he turned away quickly, playing with the socks again. "I'll think about you," he said after awhile, so quietly that James had to strain to hear. "And I'll write every day."

James gave Leo's shoulders one last squeeze and stood up. "Well," he said softly, "don't take too long packing up. Breakfast should be ready soon, and we can't be late getting to the platform."

"I know, Dad," came the response.

James went to the door, but paused before leaving. "And you'd best eat well at breakfast; it's a long train ride, and you'll get hungry right quick."

"I know, Dad."

James made to leave, but paused again. "And Leo…you'll be fine, son."

"I know, Dad."

* * *

Sirius was on edge, yet he couldn't explain why, he just was. It was as though there was something in the air, some slow-working poison, penetrating his thoughts and dreams with horrible delusions. Each night for the past few weeks, he had dreamed of the most terrible things, things that had never happened to him, but felt as though they had.

Each dream, or nightmare rather, seemed so real, so personal, all the details so very precise, that when he woke, it felt as though he had been remembering some past experience. The only thing was, the dream was not his past.

He did not know why he dreamed of these things, or how, but it bothered him that he did. One night last week, for example, he had envisioned himself in a filthy cave, gnawing what little meat there was off the bones of rats. He had felt the pangs of hunger, fear, and desperation in that cave, though he could not explain why. While he was dreaming them, however, he _did _seem to know why. He was conscious of the reasons for his hunger, his fear, his desperation. Yet when he woke up from them, he could not remember.

By far, though, last night's nightmare, or vision, or whatever it was, had been the worst. He dreamed of his own death, though the details were a bit foggy. It was not so much the actual death that bothered him, but rather the emotions tied to it. They were so real—as if it had actually happened. The shocked feeling of sudden and unexpected death had stayed with him well after waking; and he could still hear James, or who he assumed was James, crying out Sirius' name in horror as he watched the death.

Even the light of morning could not quell the disturbed feeling Sirius now carried with him, as he stood at the window overlooking the forest beyond his home. He shivered slightly, though it was quite warm out, as summer had not yet given into the chill of the fast-approaching autumn.

"Sirius?" Apollo asked, coming up behind him. "Are you ready to go?" The boy had enchanted his trunk to float by his side, obviously taking advantage of the fact he was now of age and, therefore, allowed to use magic outside of school. In his left hand he carried a very handsome broom.

"Yes, I'm ready. And you?"

Apollo nodded. "I've got everything packed. Cauldron, books, robes."

Sirius nodded to the broom curiously. "Where did you get that?"

"What? This? Oh, this is my Firebolt. I brought it with me when I came here. I thought I had lost it, but I found it again the other day in the woods."

"I've never heard of a Firebolt before," Sirius said, intrigued. "Mind if I take a look?"

"Not at all," Apollo said, though he suddenly looked a bit nervous.

It was indeed a very handsome broom, and also a very curious one. Sirius had always fancied himself something of a "Quidditch connoisseur". The fact that such a broom as this had escaped his knowledge both troubled and intrigued him.

Handing the Firebolt back to Apollo, Sirius took a deep breath and smiled a bit more heartily than he felt at the moment.

"Well, then. I suppose we had best get going," he said in a falsely cheery voice. "Don't want to miss the train. It leaves at eleven o'clock sharp."

Apollo nodded. "Let's go then."

* * *

The steam from the engine blew across the platform like a fog as wizards and witches hurried to get their children onto the train. Harry weaved his way through the baggage littering the area, dragging his own trunk behind him. Sirius led the way to one of the carts towards the end of the train where the Potters, Longbottoms, and Weasleys were standing.

"Hello there!" James called, seeing them approaching. "Glad to see you made it."

"Hiya Sirius, Apollo!" said Leo. He ran towards them, smiling.

"Hello, Leo," Harry said, putting down his trunk and scanning the windows of the train for an empty compartment.

"You can sit in my compartment, if you'd like," Leo offered.

"Thanks," Harry said, lifting his trunk again and following Leo to one of the doors on the cart. He helped Harry put his trunk onto the rack, and then glanced eagerly at the broom in his hands.

"I didn't know you owned one!" The first-year exclaimed.

"Er, yeah…" Harry said uncertainly. It had not occurred to him before that this world may not have Firebolts until he had shown Sirius the broom. Sirius had never heard of one before; and by the way Leo was staring at it, Harry could tell that he hadn't either.

Leo looked as though he were going to question Harry further about his broomstick, when there was a loud, shrill whistle.

"The train must be leaving soon," Leo said. He hopped out of the compartment and walked over to where his parents were standing. Harry watched them quietly, the same way he had once watched another family, years ago, when he, himself, was only a first-year.

Leo hugged both his parents goodbye, shared some last words Harry could not hear, and then walked back to the compartment, this time accompanied by Donna, Neville, Ron, and Ginny. As Harry made way for them all to enter, he heard someone call him.

"Apollo! Apollo, come here a moment!"

It was Lily. She was smiling at him, beckoning him over to where she stood.

He hopped down the stairs of the compartment and over to her, James, and Sirius.

"We just wanted to wish you luck, Apollo," James said, smiling.

"Yes," Lily said nodding. "And also," she lowered her voice slightly, "could you perhaps keep an eye on Leo for us? I don't mean for you to follow his every move…just, look out for him."

"Of course," Harry said. He would have done just that even if she had not asked.

"Good man," James said jovially, and gave his shoulders a pat. "I'm sure you'll have a grand time at Hogwarts."

"Sure he will," Sirius said. "Everyone does."

Harry looked at them, suddenly noticing that he was almost as tall as Sirius and James, and taller than Lily. For some reason this made him feel very sad, as if he had lost something quite irreplaceable. And in that moment he knew he could never be their child, for he was practically an adult. He would never know what it was like to be comforted during thunderstorms, or read to at bedtime. He had gained parents far too late in life. If only he had known them sooner, when there was still innocence left within him, when he was still young and naïve enough to believe that good would always prevail, and that nothing bad could ever really happen to him or those he loved. He no longer had a need for parents. He had lost it forever. They had come too late.

The conductor gave the warning call, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Well, I'll see you then," Harry said. "And thanks, Sirius, for everything."

"My pleasure, Apollo," Sirius said. "It was nice to get to know you. I'm sure I'll see you again soon."

After he said his goodbyes, Harry hurried back into the compartment. Ron, Ginny, and Neville had gone; only Donna and Leo were left.

"Where are the others?" Harry asked, choosing a seat by the window.

"Ron and Ginny are prefects," Donna explained, "and Neville's Head Boy."

And just as she finished saying this, a very familiar, bushy-haired someone, walked past their compartment, stopped, and then doubled back.

"Apollo!" Hermione exclaimed, entering halfway through the door. "How are you?"

"I'm all right. You?"

"Fine!" she beamed, "I'm just fine. It's so good to see you."

"You, too. Would you like to sit with us?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Apollo," Hermione said, sounding quite disappointed. "It's just, I'm Head Girl, you see, and I have to go and sit with the…"

"Oh, that's all right," Harry said. "Go on. I'll see you at the feast later."

Hermione nodded and continued down the hall.

"You know her?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, we've met," Harry said.

"That's the Granger girl, isn't it?" Donna said. "Neville talks about her sometimes. Says that she's a real know-it-all. No one likes her much."

"That's too bad," Harry said, a pang of longing for his world's Hermione rising in his chest. "She's real nice."

Donna shrugged as the last whistle was blown. As the train began to move, she and Leo jumped up and went to the window, waving to their families. And Harry knew, homesickness welling up within him, somewhere in a different world there was a different Hogwarts Express leaving a different Platform Nine and Three Quarters towards a different Hogwarts, and this year, he wouldn't be on it…

* * *

Instead of taking the lift to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement as he was supposed to do, Sirius decided to get off at the Department of Magical Games and Sports. He hadn't visited that floor in a good while, and was in a mood to do so. Besides, he had a few minutes to spare before he was needed at the office, and there was something he needed to check out.

Walking through the halls towards Ludo Bagman, the department head's, office, Sirius ran right into Bagman himself, looking as cheerful as ever with three professional broomsticks tucked under his arm.

"Good morning, Sirius!" Bagman said brightly. "What brings you to this level?"

"Well, you know," Sirius said easily, "I haven't been here in some time. You can't get enough of Quidditch."

"No, that you can't," Bagman agreed, as if it were the truest and most solemn statement ever spoken. "Is there anything I can do for you today, Sirius?"

"Actually, yes," Sirius said, running a casual hand through his hair. "I was just wondering, have you ever heard of a broom called a Firebolt?"

"A Firebolt?" Bagman asked. "No, I haven't. And if I haven't, then it's sure not to exist," he added with a short laugh.

"Well, thank you very much, Ludo, for clearing that up for me," Sirius said, laughing along with him. "I had best get to the office now, though. I'll see you around then, eh?"

"See you," Ludo called, waving a hand merrily as he walked away.

Sirius stared after him as he climbed back into the lift. "How very interesting," he said to no one in particular. "Very, very interesting."

* * *

"Things are going to be awful quiet around here," James said, looking around the kitchen. Leo had been gone before, to visit Sirius or friends, but this time, his departure was different. He would not be coming back until Christmas.

"I wonder if this is how my parents felt, after I left to go to Hogwarts," he mused.

Lily snorted. "I'm sure they were _glad _to get you out of the house, James."

James laughed. "Probably." He stood and walked over to where Lily was kneeling by the large cauldron in the fireplace.

Lily looked up at him, the heat from the fire making her flush. "Are you worried?"

"Me?" James asked, trying to look incredulous. "Worried? Of course not. Leo will be fine. Hogwarts is very safe."

"Why are you worried, James?" Lily asked, ignoring his admonitions to the contrary.

James sighed. "There's no fooling you, is there?"

Lily shook her head, a small smile curling her lips. "I don't know why you even bother."

There was a silence, broken only by the sizzling of the cauldron. Then, Lily spoke again.

"So, you haven't answered my question yet. Why are you worried?"

"Same reasons you are. Voldemort's been taking an interest in Hogwarts's students. You can bet Leo will be on the top of his list…"

"And what list would that be?" Lily asked, her voice calm, as if she were a professor helping a student through a difficult problem. James often thought she'd have made a good teacher.

"Whatever list he keeps," James said wryly. "You know if he has one, our family's near the top, which means Leo, too."

Lily stood, wiping her hands on a small dish towel lying nearby. "Dumbledore will keep him safe," she said, trying to convince herself, as well as James.

"I know," James said, "but I can't help worrying. I mean, sure he's safe, but didn't Dumbledore say that Harry would be safe—"

He stopped short, inwardly berating himself for bringing up that subject _again_.

Lily looked at him, her expression unreadable, the emotions in her green eyes well guarded. "Things were different with Harry," she said softly.

James nodded. "Yes, of course." He touched her cheek with the back of his hand, smiling sadly. "When did we become so overprotective?"

Lily smiled back, but didn't answer, staring into the flames. They stayed that way for awhile before James finally said, in much lighter tones: "So, what mischief shall we pursue whilst our son is away?"

Lily's eyes glinted, but before she could answer, there came the unmistakable sounds of someone entering the house. They glanced at each other, and Lily rolled her eyes as James called: "In the kitchen, Sirius!"

"Now all we need is a way to get rid of _him _'til Christmas," Lily muttered.

Sirius clambered into the kitchen, grinning. "Guess what I learned in school today!" he said.

"What's that?" Lily asked, busying herself over the cauldron again.

"There is no such thing as a Firebolt," Sirius announced. James waited for more, but none came.

"So what?" James asked.

"So what? SO WHAT?" Sirius said, adopting an amazed look on his face. "So, Apollo's got himself a Firebolt, that's what!"

"Is this supposed to mean something to us, Sirius?" Lily asked, her back to him still.

"What _is _a Firebolt?" James asked.

"A type of broom," Sirius said. "Apollo owns one. I saw it today. I held it and everything. It was a genuine, real broomstick, or I'm a lethifold. One of the best I've ever seen. But I'd never heard of one before, so I went to ask Ludo Bagman about it—just out of curiosity—and he said there was no such thing. And he is in a position to know, mind you."

Lily turned. "What are you getting at, Sirius?"

"Well, it's odd, isn't it? I mean, he owns something that doesn't exist, he just shows up in the middle of the forest, Dumbledore knows him…There's just something about him that doesn't add up. I'm not saying he's a danger to our side, or anything like that. He's a very nice lad, actually, I got along famously with him, but…there's something _strange _about him, something I can't put my finger on. It's almost as if I've met him somewhere before this summer, even though I know I haven't. Do you know what I mean?"

James nodded. "Actually, I do. I've been getting this…_feeling_…ever since he first showed up. It's not a bad feeling exactly, but it's not a good one either. It's just a _feeling_. Like some sort of presence has been following me."

"Yes, a presence," Lily said. "I've felt it, too…and I've also dreamed things…horrible things…" she broke off, shuddering slightly.

"Same with me," Sirius said, darkly. "I keep dreaming about…about things…"

James suddenly felt as though they were all twelve again, telling ghost stories. The fire in the corner only helped with the atmosphere.

"What kinds of things, Sirius?" Lily asked. She seemed very eager all of a sudden, as if Sirius' answer would give her some sort of assurance.

"Things that have never happened, or at least not to me." he looked around at the two of them, grey eyes narrowed. "I saw…_that night_…only it was different. Harry was, well, he was alive, and you two were…were not. And then _I_ went in search of Peter, instead of Remus…"

Lily was staring at Sirius so intently that James was sure she would burn a hole right through him. "I dreamed something similar…just last night." She swallowed and continued. "I watched…James…be killed by Voldemort. I saw Voldemort advance on me, asking for Harry, saying that he would spare my life if I gave him up…"

"But you didn't," Sirius said, as if he knew just as much about her dream as she did. "You gave your life for him…" His eyes widened suddenly as if seeing something beyond them. "He was saved…"

"How did you know?" Lily asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

Sirius shook his head. "I just do."

"What the hell is going on?" James asked quietly to no one in particular, a shiver going up his spine. Were his wife and best friend sending each other telepathic messages in their dreams, or was something else going on?

"I don't know," Lily said, her voice still soft. "But I have a feeling we're going to find out soon…"

* * *

After slipping into his Hogwarts robes, Leo flopped back down onto his seat in the train compartment. The things he had eaten for lunch seemed very long ago, and the sky had turned a deep velvety purple, a few early stars twinkling merrily in the sky.

"We must be nearly there," Donna remarked, fixing the collar on her robes compulsively.

"How do you think they'll do it?" Leo asked suddenly.

"Do what?" said Apollo, turning away from the window he had been staring out of.

"The Sorting," Leo explained. "I asked my parents, but they wouldn't tell me nothing about it."

"I asked Neville," quipped Donna, "but he didn't say anything either. I don't know why it's such a secret."

"I'll tell you why it's a secret…" said Apollo. He leaned forward intently, a wicked glint in his eyes.

"You know about the Sorting?" Leo asked. "How?"

"I was already sorted," he said simply, "this summer. Gryffindor," he added proudly.

"Well?" Leo pressed. "What was it like? What happened?"

"It was…" Apollo gave a theatrical shudder, "_horrible_. Real painful. That's why it's such a secret, you see. The professors want students to come to Hogwarts, and they know they won't come if they knew…"

"Knew what?" Donna said, her hands gripping the edge of her seat, knuckles white.

"Oh don't worry," Apollo said, brightly. "You'll live…probably. Most students do. The professors don't want students to die before they've even had a chance to spend one night at Hogwarts." He straightened up and looked at them hard. "No, you'll live. It'll hurt you, sure, but the scars will fade with time."

"But what happens?" squeaked Donna.

"I can't say," Apollo said, shaking his head sadly. "But you'll see. Just remember, the anticipation is always worse than the actual torture—er—Sorting."

Donna glanced worriedly at Leo, but Leo folded his arms across his chest. Donna may have bought Apollo's story, but Leo hadn't. No professor would submit their students to horrifying torture…right?

With a loud whistle and the squeaking of old, rusty wheels, the Hogwarts Express eventually came to a halt outside Hogsmeade Station. Steam from the engine billowed up in front of the windows as the students shuffled out of compartments, crowding around the corridor and doorways, pushing and shoving for their turn to get off.

Apollo helped Donna off the train, but Leo was eleven now and could manage without help. But just as he was going to follow Apollo and Donna out of the compartment, something shiny on the seat Apollo had been sitting on caught his eye. Curiosity taking hold, he went over to it, and picked it up.

It was an Apparating License.

And it belonged to Harry James Potter.

Leo stared at the little, plastic card for what seemed an eternity, not understanding why or how it could exist. He felt cold and detached, the hairs on his neck standing up, his legs wobbly like gelatin. The lights from the compartment made the card glossy and surreal, yet there it was, shiny and plastic and real.

There was information about Harry on the card, the card that shouldn't exist, birth date, appearance, everything. There was even a picture of Harry on it, looking identical to his father, save the eyes which were clearly his mother's.

What was Harry doing on this card? Harry was dead, long dead, and yet there he was.

Hands trembling, Leo felt a sudden flash of anger. Was someone playing a joke on him? Did some sick person think it funny to do this to him? Or…was it real?

No, no, it couldn't be real. It couldn't _possibly _be real.

"Leo? Are you coming?"

Leo whirled, shoving the license into a pocket in his robes, so that he could inspect it later. Apollo was standing in the doorway of the compartment, looking mildly concerned.

Leo felt his jaw drop open, and was helpless to stop it. Either he had just gone totally mad, or he was really seeing what he thought he was seeing.

Apollo looked like Harry. There was just no other way to put it. The resemblance was extraordinary. Save the blond hair, everything was exactly like the picture. The same shaped face, the same nose, the same mouth, the same eyes, even the same scar on the forehead…Oh, why hadn't he seen it before?

"Leo?" Apollo said frowning. "You're going to miss the boats. You'd better hurry up and get off the train?"

Leo took a step backwards, trying to find his voice. "I…I…"

"Are you all right?"

"I…Yeah…I'm fine…" He was staring up at Apollo, wide-eyed, questions zooming around in his head like a thousand owls. _Why does Apollo look like Harry? Why did Apollo have Harry's license. Why does _Harry_ have a license?_

He felt both confused and ill, his breath coming out in uncontrollable gasps, hysteria rising in his throat. Then, in one fluid motion, before Apollo could stop him, he raced out of the compartment, through the corridor, off the train, and onto the bustling platform.

Leo had never experienced so many different emotions at once in his life, and he was finding it rather difficult to manage them all. Shivering, he pulled his cloak tighter about himself, and joined Donna in one of the first year boats, trying hard not to think about anything lest he go insane.

During the boat ride, while his fellow first years were pointing and gawking at the sight of the castle looming above them, Leo sat pensively, running all his confused thoughts through his mind, trying to come to some logistical answer. But the only answer that came was: Apollo Hero was really Harry Potter, and that wasn't logistical at all.

* * *

MOO HA HA!!!

Sorry this took so long AGAIN. Chastises self>

And now, much thanks and praise to my beloved reviewers:

**Tombadgerlock: **First to review! Huzzah! Thank you for your review and I praise you for your much appreciated insights. bows>

**The-Ever-Lazy-One: **Hehe, I'm a poor American, too. I'm sorry about the confusion with the Talisman! I should have explained better, bad editing on my part. He doesn't sleep with it on, you see, it's a tad uncomfortable. This is not very wise of Harry, but alas, Harry himself is not very wise. Thank you so much for reviewing! (Awesome name, by the way.)

**NoAlias: **I love that you did a little dance for my update! I'm sorry this took so long. I am a terrible, terrible person for making you wait. Honestly, the guilt has kept me up at night. ;) Thank you very much, my dear!

**Lady Gallatea Ravenclaw: **Yes, yes they are. Bwahaha. Thank you!

**Night-Owl123: **Thank you very much!

**girlknight: **Don't worry, I'll keep your identity secret, as you are so very cunning. As far as anyone else is concerned, you only reviewed once…I'm glad you got your touch back, and I'm sorry that I didn't wish you a Happy Canadian Thanksgiving way back in October. So, I'll wish you one now. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! I love Darth-Vader! He's so mysterious with his helmet and so evil before he is redeemed! Ah, that Darth…Thank you, as always, my northern friend, for your wonderful threats.

**scotgirl: **Thank you so very much! There will be more Hogwarts next chapter, as we've only just arrived.

**C.M Aeris Queen of Insanity: **I'm glad it was only a little beating, though I deserve much worse than that for making you all wait again. Thank you for being gentle!

**MagiciansOfTheYami: **Haha, I'm always too lazy to sign in, too! Thank you so much for reviewing!

**Constance Truggle: **Thank you! Yes, we are indeed getting closer to revealing who Apollo truly is to everyone…

**Von: **Something IS about to happen, though it's not wholly depressing, so I hope I have spared you that. As for pairing Harry, and for ships in general, I'm really not a big fan myself. I've always been a horrid shipper, finding very few romance fics interesting. So don't worry too much about the Harry/Ginny stuff, as there won't be much of it. Thank you so much!

**lostdreamer23: **Thank you for the advice and the review! I knew after the last chapter someone would comment on that.

**FutureGoddess: **Wow, thanks!

**TheHufflepunk: **Hahaha! I guess you _would _be a Huffleclaw, or a Ravenpuff. It's good that you are able to admit your Hufflepuff nature, as so very few people do. It took me a good long while to get over my denial and finally admit that my house colors are yellow and black. Thank you so much for reviewing!

**Dragon Tyrion: **HUG!!!

**Sirius Revenge: **Don't worry; I happen to like your detached and nonsense-filled reviews. Thank you!

**Larna Mandrea: **There will be more "doorperson" in the next chapter, and yes, the identity of doorperson will be revealed. Thank you very much, my friend!

**Depressed Gothic Raven: **Well, thank you very very much!

**siriuslyhot!!!: **I guess you're going to have to jinx me, as I failed to update quickly. Thank you for reviewing!

**wolfawaken: **YAY! An update! Thanks!

**Kyntor: **The duel between Harry and Draco wasn't so much a duel as it was a "Muggle fight". And Harry did in fact win, despite the fact that the Draco, the other Death Eaters and Voldemort all cheat and fight dirty. Yes, Harry has fought off Death Eaters and Voldemort before and come out victorious, but that was either due to a series of unusual circumstances, or because he had the help of his friends. Harry isn't superman, and while he can hold his own and excels at Defense, he's still a teenager and has a lot more to learn.

**hermione21: **The answers shall come, all in good time…Thank you!

**azntgr01: **Cheer up! Here at last is an update! Thanks!

**Madfoot Moony: **Thank you very much!

**Miss Runa Black: **As you can see from this chapter, Sirius is beginning to figure out certain things. Thanks!

**midnight star: **All your questions shall be answered…eventually. Hehe. Thanks!

**FullMoon-Witch: **Please don't be mad! Believe me, I make _myself_ mad with my lack of quick updates. I'm really glad you like it! Thank you very much!

**Amitra Minh Day: **Thank you!

**preoperative: **Don't worry, you haven't missed anything. Next chapter I shall reveal the identity of the doorperson for those who have not yet figured it out. And as for the thing Dumbledore was saying, it's okay if you were a bit confused, he's Dumbledore after all, and Harry really didn't understand him either. Thank you!

**gaul1: **Thank you!

**Aussie-Girl3: **Thanks very much!

**kyLaaa: **Hehe, it is most definitely my constitutional right to add cliffies, as I shall continue to do! Thanks!

**Byrne76: **Thank you very much!

**belle84: **Thanks, though I sort of failed at updating quickly…again.

**Illusoire: **Alors! Une autre Française! Mon histoire est très bizarre? Hé hé. Merci beaucoup!

**hollily: **Hello there! No, Harry and Hermione will not get together, and yes, Ron will be different. Neville will be the one who is the most changed in the other world, though. Thank you very much!

**attackofthemarblesnatchers: **Hello there! I think I know what you mean by asking how to say peoples' names when they are in the past/future (or in my case, two different worlds). I think for your story, Harry should call his parents/Sirius, etc., by their first names, but that's just my opinion, if indeed that's what you wanted to know. Thank you very much for the review!

**sirius009:** Thanks!

**Happyherminchen: **Wow, thank you!

**dress-without-sleeves: **I know I didn't update soon, but do I still get chocolate, ice cream, and éclairs? Hehe. Indeed, Harry and Neville ARE the only people suited for Ginny. Thanks very much!

**heyo: **I'm sorry it took so long! I wept guilty tears for you and your hopefulness for updates. Please, forgive me, and I hope you had a Merry Christmas as well, cause I sure did! Thank you!

**Assur:** Hallo! Sirius doesn't need a wife, he has me! Hehehe…Harry is rather "naïve" at times, if I may quote Miss Granger from OotP (Chapter Thirty-one). The thought that he might be caught with the talisman off while sleeping never crossed his mind, but of course now, after his near-exposure, he will most certainly not make that mistake again. I love the idea of Harry as a healer, too. I haven't come across many Healer!Harry stories, though, which is too bad. Yay for German! I have been practicing my German oh so diligently to all my friends, who stare at me and mutter that I have, at long last, lost my mind. Place names like "hotel" and "airport" would be good to know, I think. Thank you so very much, Assur!

**Christina Black: **What, don't you _like_ crying babies? ;)

**MysterioX: **Sorry about the terrible updating. I am ashamed. Thank you!

**wyadra: **Thank you!

**Nimair Black: **Sirius is getting closer to figuring out the mystery, and he will not soon forget about James (Harry) Apparating in his house. As for the mysterious doorperson…you'll see.

**Kilikapele: **Hello!!! I've missed you, my friend! Your review made my day; you had me laughing so hard. Oh my gosh, I'm allergic to everything to! And I'm such a nerd about it, what with my asthma inhalers and allergy meds and epi-pen. Hehe. Huzzah! I'm a mastermind! That sounds so conniving and devious, doesn't it? I like it. Mmm…you've got me on the peanut-butter hot chocolate deal. I wonder, I've never had Californian hot chocolate…I bet it would good and California-y. Thank you so so so so much!!! I love you more than you can ever imagine! Cheers!

**antares520: **You are quite on top of things! Good for you, and thank you very much for reviewing!

**Silver Warrior: **Thank you very much! bows>

**Xandria Nirvana: **:) Thank you!

**Maryx: **You are just all over the place, aren't you, my friend. Thank you so much, for your comments here and on the other site. Yeah, about that the license thing…when it came to acquiring an Apparation license my imagination kind of took a holiday, but it's so much important HOW Harry got it, as it is THAT he got it, for reasons you can probably see in this chapter. Ah well, maybe someday I'll go back and make it a bit more interesting. Once again, thank you very much!

**Sei-san: **Don't cry! Here's an update for you! Be happy! Thanks!

**moonfyre: **Thank you!


End file.
